Love descends over Two Hearts
by la muse
Summary: hi minna,due to some circumstances,I change the title of "The Rescuer" from this one..Fuji Syusuke hide from the world.With his two faithful dog,he fearlessly puts his life on line to rescue lost people. Ex-army ranger Tezuka Kunimitsu need's Fuji's help
1. Chapter 1

my second story...

devi no kaze: thanks.. and i'm working on it...

**Chapter 1**

The call for help came late at night. They usually did. Only this one is one of the worst kind.. A child. Lost in the unforgiving Hotaka mountains.

Fuji Syusuke replaced the receiver and rolled out of the bed, shoving his feet into heavy boots as he pushed to stand. He'd been asleep less than ten minutes.

Backpack always loaded and ready, he reached for the dog's leash and vest and heard the soft pad of canine footsteps coming on his way.

It was Chase.

A little piece of his heart broke off. As always, Chase was ready to work,ready to rescue the lost.

"Sorry, honey,"he said,laying one hand on the wide, intelligent head."Not tonight."

Not any night in the future,although Chase was the best air-scent search and rescue dog he'd ever trained.

As soon as I got the money,boy. We'll have you fixed up and good as new."

But money, for Fuji,was hard to come by. Even by training and boarding other people's dog, his income was limited. The monthly check from his father's insurance barely covered necessities, and surgery to correct Chase's damaged knees was expensive,far over his budget. But Chase deserved a chance to work again. Being the best that he is. Somehow,even if he had to take outside job, he'd find a way to help is friend and partner.

The idea of working at a regular job made him shudder. Not that he was lazy. It wasn't the work that bothered him. It was people.

"Hunter,"he called softly and was not surprise to find the brown Lab waiting quietly behind him. Trained to search by air and ground, Hunter as an excellent dog who loved kids.

With regrets to the depressed Chase, he snapped Hunter into his bright orange rescue vest and, flashlight in hand, headed for his truck.

One step outside and he burrowed deeper on the muffler around his neck,thinking of the search to come in this very cold night.

The knowledge spurred Fuji to work faster. If anyone could find the boy,he and Hunter could do it. They were the best in the mountains. Maybe the best in the county . They never quit until the victim is found-alive or dead. He preferred alive.

As he passed the kennels, the rest of the dogs, all boarders in training, slipped out of their houses to stretch and shake beneath the white moon.

Fuji didn't mind. Working with dog's,anyone's dogs, was his life and ambition.

Chase and Hunter on the other hand, was his babies,his children,his family. He toke care of them and they toke care of him. Together, they don't need anyone else, but a lot of people needed them. And when the need was met, people faded away.

People.

He touched the barely visible scar at his hairline.

Not his favorite space.

Intentionally, he turned his thoughts to the to to little boy lost somewhere beneath the flat white moon.

But, kids were a different matter . He didn't consider them adults yet. They didn't have ulterior motives. They were at the mercy of adults, just as he'd been.

Fuji wondered why he'd awakened tonight with the old memories so sharp. But memories were okay,odcasionally. They made him focused,kept him mindful of why he'd never permanently leave this mountain again.

-O~o~O-

Tezuka Kunimitsu paced the command center he'd set up near the small community of Takayama.

"How far away is that dog team?,"he asked Oishi Shuichiro, the sheriff, who stood to one side.

"He'll be here."

He figured that. He'd called the guy, hadn't he? And distinctly remember the soft,almost feminine sound of a voice still drenched in sleep.

Tezuka laid out the topography maps and mentally went through scant information they had about the missing child.

Outside the station, truck motors roared and doors slammed. A couple of park rangers came in followed by a petite man with a happy looking dog.

For Tezuka Kunimitsu time stopped. He stare at the boy. Bundled for cold, he wore a bright yellow ski suit and hooded parka. From within the frame of sheepskins he (Fuji) looked out over the assembled group,assessing,cautious,almost angry. He was both fearsome and fascinating, and Tezuka experienced a most unusual reaction. Interest. He, who had sworn off attraction five years ago was attracted and mesmerized.

review please. ^^


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 here...hope you'll like it... :)

**Chapter 2**

The newcomer's face was delicate and pretty. His full lower lip looked soft and sensitive, kissable even, though him cursed himself for noticing at times like this. But his eyes fascinated him the most. The bluest eye with edges of gold, his eyes were the strangest he'd ever seen. Not just the unusual, otherworldly color but something he saw in their depths, some deep and frightening knowledge.

So this is the search and rescue team or "dog man" as the other emergency personnel called him.

Shaking off the odd sensation that had gripped him the moment he (Fuji) walked into the station, Tezuka stepped forward. "I'm Tezuka Kunimitsu, director of operation."

Tezuka offered his hand. Fuji didn't take it. if anything, he shrunk back, placing his hand on the dog at his side.

With those disturbing eyes, Fuji quietly looked over him, and Tezuka was sure, found him woefully wanting.

"Fuji Syusuke,"he said shortly."This is my dog Hunter. Let's get started. Give me some details."

"The boy is nine. He and his grandfather were hiking. Somehow they got separated."

"When?"

"About two hours ago."Tezuka pointed to the map spread out on a table next to table."Here."

Tezuka was acutely aware of the boy as he leaned forward and took note of the area. His(Fuji's) scent, as he leaned in, was a mix of cold air and a sweet scent. Fuji said nothing, only studied the map.

"We need to get started." he turned to Fuji, who's waiting quietly, while Hunter's receiving pats and shaking hands. Tezuka found it interesting that the others present knew and liked his dog, but not a single person had spoken to the trainer.

"You'll take the direct trail, following this grid."

"The map is inaccurate."

"What?"

"I'll follow the direct trail where the boy was last seen."

"Great. Just great." Frustration burned in Tezuka's gut. Ever since taking this new position, he'd run into the same problems over and over and over again. All the data, the maps, the grids, the disaster plans were outdated. That's why he's been asked to find ways to get the present maps,grids and data. He's got far more works to do and less time to do it.

"Do you know the area?"

Again that cool,cool stare from those blue eyes."Of course. Does the family have any item that belonged to the boy which hadn't been contaminated?"

"Is that necessary?"

"No. But the scent helps Hunter to move much faster. And in case you haven't noticed, time is not in our side."

Though the command bordered some sarcasm, Fuji was right. The temperature continued to fall.

"I'll ask the family." Tezuka made his way towards the family and returned with a cap and give it to Fuji."Will this do?"

"It will do." Without further ado, Fuji spoke quietly to the dog, held the inside of the cap to his twitching black nose,and then left the command post.

Fuji's insides trembled as he loaded Hunter once more into the truck cab and climbed behind the wheel.

Tezuka Kunimitsu was a military. He could see it in his precise bearing, hear it in his voice,_feel_ it emanating from him in waves of danger. He knew Tezuka's type. Rugged and masculine with snapping brown eyes. Tezuka's strong and powerful.

_And a military._...

upon hearing that the county had finally hired a full-time emergency management director, Fuji had been pleased. For a while he'd worried they might hire Akutsu Jin, a deputy who had lobbied long and hard for the development of an emergency management program within the county.

But this man, this Tezuka Kunimitsu, was far worse than Akutsu. He was a military. he was deadly. And he scared him to pieces.

Hunter, sensing his unease and wondering why they weren't moving whined softly and nudged at him as if to say: "Get moving,Mama (1), we have a kid to save."

With a shaky laugh, he cranked the engine."Right. Focus,huh,boy? A lost kid is in a lot more trouble than we are."

Suddenly the passenger door was yanked open. Tezuka Kunimitsu slid onto the bench next to Hunter. Fuji scowled, hoping to frighten him away."What are you doing?"

"I thought I'd ride along with you,watch you work."

Fuji's pulse ratcheted up to much speed. "Hunter and I work _alone_."

"Not this time. If I'm going to use you services, I need to see for myself that you know what you're doing."

In the darkness, lit only by the moon and the lights of the vehicles beginning to move, Tezuka looked across Fuji,expression mild. There was a stubbornness about him and a confidence that bordered cockines,Fuji thought.

Tezuka's the boss,and he better get used to it.

"Suit yourself." He cranked the engine and drove in silence. The truck could only go so far before they'd have to hike into the wilderness to the area were the boy had last been seen. When they reached the vicinity, he parked the vehicle and got out, strapped on his backpack, leashed Hunter and started trough the woods without a word to his uninvited guest. If Mr. High and All Mighty Military Man wanted to come, he'd better keep up.

He did, with less effort he was beside him.

Ignoring the man took effort,but Fuji concentrated on his job with Hunter. With soft commands, he unsnapped the several seconds, he stood, nose high.

"What is he doing?"

"Processing information." He was accustomed to waiting quietly until Hunter move.

"How long does that take?"

He turned, shining the flashlight into his eyes. "I didn't ask you to come along."

Tezuka blinked and turned his tried to be gentle but the guy was getting under his nerve. He'd come with him for the very reason he'd said, to observe his work. But to be truthful, he wanted to observe more than that. Something about Fuji unsettled him. As an Army Ranger,he'd spent many nights in the wilderness. Neither the rugged terrain nor the possibly long night ahead bothered him. But Fuji Syusuke did.

" You aren't what I expected." Tezuka said.

He bristled,but didn't look at him. He was glad because he'd that stupid thought that his blue eyes might glow in the dark. "And why would you expect anything at all?"

"Well you know," He shifted uncomfortably, wishing he'd keep his big mouth shut. Usually,taking with someone didn't make him nervous but Fuji did. "I'd heard about you."

The air temperature around them seemed to drop ten degrees. "So they told you about the crazy man who lives back in the mountains by himself only dogs for company."

"Something like that."

By now, the dog must have caught the scent because he disappeared from their circle of light with a rustle of movement.

"Well, they're right. I'm crazy. Keep that in mind while we're in these woods." The dog leash rattling at his waist, he stalked right away,heavy brown boots thudding the frozen shrugged off his prickly attitude and followed and decided to keep the rest of his thoughts to himself.

After about an hour in which he marveled at the petite guy's stamina,a series of short, happy yips rent in the air. Fuji stopped, spun around and said, "We found him." His voice sounded as excited as the barks.

Tezuka caught up to him."Are you sure?"

He nodded curtly. "Hunter's good."

"So you are,you trained him."

As if no one had ever noticed such thing, he stopped dead still and his mouth dropped blinked up at him, and Tezuka had the strongest urge to give him a hug. He didn't of course. He'd likely punch him in the gut if he did that.

The dog barked again, more urgent now. Fuji's mouth snapped shut and spun away. "Move it." And they followed the sound.

"Does he ever get far away from you to hear him bark?" Tezuka asked, huffing a bit to talk and keep up. The petite guy was in amazing physical condition.

"Sometimes. But he'll come back to me if that happens. But I prefer he stay with the victim,especially on nights like this. He's a good source of heat."

"Make sense."

The barking grew nearer and in less time than Tezuka could have hoped,the beam of the flashlight caught the eye of the dog huddled next to a small boy. In seconds,they wee beside the shivering child. While Tezuka checked him over, speaking in reassuring tones, Fuji went to his knees and began rummaging in his backpack.

He looked up at Tezuka. "Start a fire. You know how, don't you?"

Was he intentionally trying to insult him? "In the pouring rain with two wet sticks."

The corner of his mouth twitched. He almost smile. As he got busy proving his point, Tezuka couldn't help wondering what Fuji Syusuke would look like with a full-blown smile?

Fuji baffled him, intrigued him and made him feel nervous and uncomfortable. But Fuji found the boy alive.

And he made him almost smile.

And next time, he would succeed.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

1 . I prefer to call him "Mama" since he look's like a girl. ~_^

Automatic Raccoon & Alatarielf : thanks a lot ! :DD

Review please... :))))))))))


	3. Chapter 3

here's the next chapter...

**Chapter 3**

The next morning word of the rescue had reached the newspapers and spread around the area. The phone rang here and there with congratulations and reports. Some even went to Takayama for personal interview with Tezuka and the other rescuers.

Tezuka fought off a grimace as yet another reporter snapped a photo of him. His small office was full of newspeople along with city officials who wanted to be in newspapers and television.

"Who found him?"

"A volunteer search and rescue dog and his trainer, Fuji Syusuke, they're the best rescue team I've ever seen." In fact, he and his dog were poetry in motion. For all his prickly attitude with him, Fuji was different to the little boy. He was gentle and reassuring to the frightened child. Far different from how he treated adults.

Yes Fuji was different. He's an interesting man.

"Is Fuji-san available for an interview?" one of the reporters asked.

Somehow Tezuka was sure he would not be. "Not to my knowledge."

Last night when the boy was reunited with his family, Fuji and Hunter just disappeared without a word. He tried to look around for him to thank him only to find out he was gone. He even went outside and found the space where he parked his truck empty.

A man had to admire someone like that. He wasn't in it for glory. That's for sure. Once the rescue operation was done, he just vanished.

After another thirty minutes of questions and answers,the newspeople and the city officials, disappeared . He was used to working non-stop, but a few minutes of peace and quiet after such a night was more than welcome right now.

But before he could sit down at his chair , the telephone rang again. Being the only person left at that moment,he answered the call. It was the governor, congratulating him for the success of the previous night's operation.

Good. If the governor was happy, then it might make the program move forward increased exponentially.

"Yes, sir,"he said. "Thank you,sir. The credits goes to Fuji-kun and his dog. They found the boy."

As he hung up the phone, Deputy Sheriff Akutsu Jin sauntered into his office.

"You're becoming quite the celebrity, aren't you, Tezuka?"

What was this all about? Tezuka pushed back in his chair. "Small towns like big news."

"Guess that's why you tagged along with the dog man." Akutsu's face,though smiling, doesn't look friendly at all. if he had something to say, he better spit it out.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do. The dog has the greater chance to find the boy and that put you right to the glory land." Before Tezuka could react, Akutsu added. "Or was it his trainer you were interested in? Or are you also captivated with those weird witch-like eyes?"

Tezuka didn't let the deputy ruffle his composure, although the insult to both him and Fuji were clear. "Are you intentionally trying to annoy me, Akutsu?"

"Just kidding man, just kidding." Akutsu laugh, then take his leave.

Sheriff Inoue Mamoru waved him inside as the sheriff ended a call. "Come in here, Tezuka.

"What's going on with Akutsu Jin?" Tezuka asked.

"Getting under your skin?"

"Sort of. We were friends during high school but he seems to resent me for some reason."

"That's a fact."

"Why?"

"Figured you knew. Akutsu wanted you job. A couple of years ago, when the city officials first came up with the notion, Akutsu put in his application."

"Why did they turn him down?"

"That I don't know. But governor seemed more interested in men like you with your experience and all. Akutsu's good deputy, not a bad sort. We give him a bump in pay, sort of a "medicine" for his wounded ego. But that's the problem. Pride. Don't think about. Just do the job this city is paying you to do."

But Tezuka could hear the words the sheriff wasn't saying about the the deputy. _Watch your back and don't screw up. _"I guess I have a lot to prove to everyone, not just to Akutsu then."

"Yes, you do, which is actually the reason why I wanted to talk to you."He tossed a sheaf of papers on the desk. "I have ideas to improve the system, starting with a new grid around all the campground and trailheads."

Newer computerized satellite maps were helpful but not precise enough for a search and rescue use.

"Some a lot older." The sheriff said.

"Exactly. To do that I need a manpower."

"Don't have it. You need to recruit your own."

"That's where I want your advice." Tezuka said,"I need a list of people who know these mountains and trails. People have time and willingness without much in the way of compensation."

He was setting out a monumental task, and both he and Inoue knew it.

"Couple of people come to my mind. Banda Mikaya (Banji), for one, but he's getting up on years. Too old for it. Might not have the stamina anymore." (-_-)"

"Who else?"

"Fuji Syusuke."

Tezuka shook his head."I don't think he likes me that much."

"Fuji Syusuke doesn't like anybody that I know of unless they have four legs and a tail, but no one knows these mountains better. He spend days on end tracking and working with his dogs, exploring the trail. Since he volunteer for the search and rescue, he might be willing. He's for sure your best bet and he danged good at his job."

"Can't argue that." Last night,he and Hunter had been like one mind with two bodies.

"A handsome young rogue such as yourself can surely find a way to convince Syu to give a hand."

Tezuka answered with a grunt. "Don't bet on it."

"Then, give Banji a call and then talk to Fuji. Doesn't hurt if you try."

"Will do. Thank you."

Rummaging in the stack of papers on his desk, he took a notepad and made his usual list for the day. He was still making the rounds of all the towns, getting personally acquainted with emergency personnel that he might have call upon.

Then there was the ongoing worry of gathering accurate data, resources, maps and other tools to make rescue operations function smoothly. As of today, that was priority one.

He shuddered to think what might happened last night if Fuji had not known the grid map was inaccurate.

Resolutely, he found Banji's phone number, only to hear that the man was in the hospital having hip replaced.

"One down and one to go."He muttered as he rustled papers looking for Fuji Syusuke's phone number. Finding the number, he started to dial then changed his mind. A job offer to a prickly being should be presented in person. He grabbed his coat from the rack by the door.

He was probably going to turn him down, but he would have to do it to his face.

~O~X~O~

Fuji cradled the telephone against his ear and gnawed on the side of his thumbnail while the veterinarian in the Boulder told him what to do for Chase's aching knees. The dog was so stiff this morning, Fuji had cried to see him trying to walk to his feed.

"Surgery is the only real solution, Fuji-kun," the doctor said.

"I know. I'm working on it."

"If it's helpful, we take credit cards."

That had to be repaid. "I'll get back to you. Thanks, Dr. Saeki."

After ringing off, Fuji heated cloths in the microwave and wrapped them around Chase's aching knees. Once Chase was situated , he slipped on his coat to take care of the kennel dogs. Hunter stood and stretched, eager to go with him.

"Not this time, Hunter. You need to rest." he'd fed him his favorite treat, a hamburger patty,when they arrived home last night. they were both exhausted, but the success that they have is enough to get them going.

"You were magnificent boy." he said,stroking the soft fur. He looked up at him with all the confidence and joy a dog could have.

Leaving his dogs inside, he stepped put into the cold morning. The sun was out. The earth smelled fresh. And the spring was around the corner.

He opened the kennel and went in, greeted by ten excited dogs of various breeds. Each day, he worked each of them according to his or her level, teaching obedience or taking them a step further to trailing and tracking. But first, they got to run and play for pure joy of life. Then he opened the gate wide and let them out. They bounded forth, running in circles and barking, powdery snow spraying up around them.

Fuji absorbed their pleasure and laughed, spinning slowly in circle, arms wide to his sides. This was his refuge and he loved being here alone on top of the world with all of nature spread out before him.

His little cabin sat in a small clearing at the end of a two-mile driveway that was really more of a rail. Only a four-wheel-drive vehicle or ATV could manage the rugged climb. Around the cabin were miles and miles of wilderness.

A German shepherd, still learning his manners, leaped at him from behind and knocked him to the ground. He corrected him, watching his intelligent face take in the message that this was not a good thing. And then, he rubbed the thick fur around his neck and laughed. As if the action was a signal, the other nine dogs bounded up, eager to play.

In the next moment, he was on the ground wrestling and rolling in the snow with ten, excited dogs. Laughter bubbled up and spilled over, echoing out across the pristine snow.

There was nothing like a warm, wiggling, furry dog to make him forget.

Suddenly, the air changed and a voice broke through his laughter.

A male voice.

"Looks like you're having fun."

The sharp surge of adrenaline fear burned his nerve. Fuji thrashed against the bundles of fur and leaped to his feet. His heart thundered in his ears like a wild, spring storm.

He spun towards the intruder. Tall,dark,military.

"Fuji-kun? Remember me? Tzuka Kunimitsu." He (Fuji) must have looked terrified because he (Tezuka) held both his hands out of his sides as if to indicate he carried no harm.

Fuji didn't care if he meant harm or not. He was dangerous. He swallowed the thick taste of fear. No use letting him see how much his presence disturbed him."What are you doing here?"

"I've come to talk to you about something."

"I'm not interested." He said before calling all the dogs and headed towards the kennel.

Tezuka fell in step beside him. "How would you know without hearing me out?"

Why wouldn't the man go away?

"I just know." he signaled the dogs into the kennel and headed towards their feed barrel. "How did you find me?"

He took the filled bucket from her. "I have maps."

"Inaccurate ones." he huffed and reached for the bucket. "Let me have that. I can take care of this animals myself."

"I have no doubt of that."But Tezuka didn't return the bucket. Instead he shook the kibble into the dishes, patting the dogs head as he went. Tezuka liked dogs. That much was in his favor.

Fuji went inside the heated area of the kennel for fresh water. "So what do you want?"

"I need a favor."

"No."

Tezuka laugh. Fuji liked it. He also liked the little laugh crinkles around his mouth.

"You're a hard case." Tezuka said.

"Don't forget that."

Fuji completed the task of feeding and watering the dogs. All the while, Tezuka remained by his side, helping without being asked, and generally making Fuji feel uncomfortable.

"The inaccurate maps are why I'm here."

Fuji ignored him.

Tezuka stood against one corner of the chain-like fence talking anyway. "One of my goals as director of emergency management is to create a more effective streamlined system. "

"Here." He thrust him a shovel. "If you want to be of help, you can shovel manure."

The crinkles reappeared around the his mouth. He took the shovel anyway and get to work. "I've done worse. You're not going to run me off until you hear me out."

"Maybe you're the hard case."

"And don't forget that," he said, echoing his words. "I need your help. You know these woods and mountains better than anyone. I want to remap and re-grid a five-mile radius around all the main areas of entrance into the wilderness."

"Big job." But a good idea. Fuji stopped looking at the maps of the sheriff's office, relying instead on his memories. They were THAT out dated. If Tezuka Kunimitsu could accomplish such task, then, more power to him. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because I need your help. We can do it."

Fuji's gaze flew to meet his. "We?"

Snapping brown eyes, too smart for their own good, stared back. "Yup. You and me. By foot or snowmobile, whatever it takes. We'll reconcile the old maps and newer satellite images with hands-on reality." then he dropped the shovel against the fence and crossed his arms. "So, what do you think?"

Fuji seldom noticed the cold but suddenly he was chilled to the bone. Spend months traipsing the wilderness with Tezuka Kunimitsu, a man with military oozing out of him? A man who had been trained to kill?

_Not a snowball's chance, buddy!_ That's what he thought.

Fuji stored the shovel and bucket and led the way out of the kennel. The dogs looked at him, bewildered. He'll come back later for their training session, once he's rid of Tezuka Kunimitsu.

"I'm sorry, Tezuka-kun. You'll have to find someone else. I'm not interested."

And before Tezuka could say another word and MAKE him feel guilty, Fuji stalked into the house and locked the door.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

so what do you think? Fuji's pretty mean...yes? :)

anyway, hope you like it...

thanks for reading and for the reviews .. :)

our 2nd semester started last Nov. 16 :( but I'll try to update again next week...

review please.. ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4... enjoy ! ^.^

**Chapter 4**

Water roared over Takayama . The spring thaws has begun.

Tezuka made a note of his location on his handheld computer,jotting down the coordinates and details, then hitched his small knapsack and started back to the main trail. At this rate, the mapping project would be done right before his retirement party in twenty years. Maybe.

As he picked his way over the fallen limbs and thick melting snow, he absorbed the sights and smells of the woods. This was the kind of environment in which he missed. After all those years serving in every known climate and terrain as a Ranger, the outdoors was in his blood. He loved being out here in the cold or rain or heat or whatever.

Maybe that's why Fuji Syusuke intrigued him so much. He could relate to his solitude. He (Tezuka) liked being alone in the wilderness, but he also liked being around with people. That's where he and the guy with the fascinating eyes differed. He (Fuji) walked away and left him standing in his (Fuji's) yard as though he didn't exist.

He knew he's startled Fuji, walking up on him that way. But when he'd arrived at his cabin after a long, bumpy drive, he'd heard his laughter coming from behind the house. Sounds carry forever in the thin mountain air and his laughter was so beautiful and free, he'd had to know what caused it. As he'd rounded the house , he'd seen him there, rolling in the snow with ten big dogs, laughing for all he's worth.

For a moment, he'd stood there in the sunshine listening and watching, an odd sensation swelling his chest. He was very beautiful and lovely when he laughed.

The previous night, he'd been bundled from head to toe. That morning the dogs had wrestled away his stocking cap and his hair fell around his face in disarray. He had a brown-colored interesting hair and it matched perfectly his captivating blue-colored eyes.

There was something about him, all right. He (Tezuka) couldn't get him out of his head. If only he would agree to help out with the mapping project, he could spend enough time with him to figure out why he fascinated him so much.

But he'd turned him down. Flat. So had everyone else. He's called and visited every possible candidate for the project. Mostly, they'd laughed him off. (T_T)

By now, he's reached his truck. Tezuka tossed his knapsack into the seat and climbed inside. He wished he had more progress to report, although he felt pretty good about all that had been done in a short time.

On the way back to the courthouse, he stopped for lunch at one of the cafes in the main street. The cafe's occupants greeted him. When he finally ordered his coffee, Akutsu Jin came through the door. Dressed in uniform, the man took a few admiring looks from the local ladies.

"Tezuka," he said. "Mind if I join you?"

"Pull up a chair." Tezuka pushed the menu towards the other man.

"So how's the program coming along? I heard you had an appointment with the governor."

"Friday. I think he'll be pleased."

"Any luck with that special project of yours?"

"Some. I'm still looking for volunteer to help."

The waitress brought his and Akutsu's order."I thought that spooky dog man was going to help you?"

Tezuka put some pepper on his burger. "Turned me down."

"Told you he was weird."

"You turned me down too. Does that make you weird?" Tezuka bit into his burger.

" Ha. Good one. I have a job. He doesn't. He has time. All he does is train those dogs and traipse the wilderness anyway. He's always out there. I don't know why he won't make make himself useful."

"How do you know as much about his activities?"

Akutsu shifted uncomfortably. "Never said I did. Just a guess."

The waitress brought Akutsu's order.

"Money talks," Akutsu went on. "You're the governor's pal. Can't you squeeze a little money out from him?"

"I've already tried."

Akutsu laugh. "Guess the governor doesn't love you as much as you thought."

Suddenly, a thought hit him. His pay was more than adequate and his needs are simple. Why not pay Fuii out of his pocket? Funds might be tight for a while, but he can manage. On the heels of that, another thought came to his mind. Fuji Syusuke didn't like him, or at least seemed not to. He might be insulted or suspicious if the offer of pay appeared to come from his account.

Fair enough. A ranger needed to do what it takes to accomplish his mission. He'll present the offer as temporary employment to the Department of Emergency Management. Fuji doesn't need to know that the money come from him. He just hope Fuji would cooperate.

As the sheriff said, it wouldn't hurt to ask. He needed Fuji's knowledge of the mountains. He also needed something from him, though he hadn't figured out what was that yet. But he would.

~X~O~X~

Fuji walked the Australian shepherd, Sam, around the wooden slide letting him explore the new obstacle before taking him up. The slide was one of several pieces of training equipment he'd built behind the kennels. After a minute, he guided the dog onto the slide and urged him upward, using his squeaky toy a lure. Crouched down and nervous, he crept along at a snail's pace.

When he reached the top of the slide, he gave him the toy and lifted him down. He was trembling. Not good. Because of his timidity, he was almost sure that Sam would not make a good SAR dog. He would, however, be a wonderful and obedient pet to his family.

"Sit. Stay," he commanded, using a kind but firm voice while holding his palm down and out a signal. When the dog obeyed, he rewarded him with a praise. His trainees started on treats and were gradually weaned to enjoy only praise or toy. Sam loved praise best of all.

"Good boy. Good Sam. Time to go in." The dog went to his pen.

Feeling successful and positive, he hummed a tune as he let himself in through the back door of the cabin. Hanging his jacket by the door, he went through the kitchen and toward the bathroom to wash up.

A soft whine stopped him in the hallway. "Hunter what's wrong?"

Hunter came around the door from the bedroom, his eyes worried, body tense.

"What's wrong, buddy?"

Body language urgent, the dog "told" him something was amiss. Then he turned and hurried back into the bedroom. The whine came again. Chase's whine. _Oh. No._ With trepidation in the heart, Fuji followed the sound.

Chase lay on the floor beside his bed, distress showing on his face. "Chase? What's the matter, old chum?"

Fuji went down on his knees beside the dog. He'd been asleep earlier when he'd gone to train, but now struggled to stand up, clearly in pain. He made halfway up before collapsing with a yip.

Tears burned at the back of Fuii's eyes. His best friend's knees had finally frozen into position. He could no longer stand without a terrible pain. The vet had warned him this might happen if the surgery didn't take place soon.

He'd failed him. The tears came in earnest now as he buried his face against his fur.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry. We'll go to the vet today." no matter the cost, Chase was going to have that surgery. He'd take out a loan and fined a job,cleaning tables or whatever was available. He's been selfish too long and now, look what happened.

Gently, he lifted the dog and carried him into the living room and place him on the rug. When he was comfortable, he gave him one of the pills the vet had prescribed, then put his hot packs in the microwave.

He was watching the turntable spin round and round, teas blurring his vision. When someone banged on the front door, he jerked, startled as always. Visitors were a rare occurrence.

Chase immediately alerted, barking for all his worth. The protective sound brought more tears. The sweet dog would try to protect him no matter how badly he hurt himself. Reassuring the dog that he was safe, he dashed the tears and went to the door.

Tezuka Kunimitsu stood on his small wooden step. Maybe he wasn't safe at all.

Before he had the chance to ask him what he wanted now, he spoke."What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

He shook his head, not wanting to cry in his presence but unable to stop the tears.

"Are you all right?" when he didn't answer, he pushed past him into the living room and looked around. His stance was fierce and warrior-like, ready for battle. A shiver ran down his spine.

"I'm fine. Please." was all he can say. He wanted him to leave.

Instead, he took his shoulders and walked him to a chair."Can I do anything?"

He pushed right back out of the chair and went to Chase. Every hair of his back stood up. "My dog was sick. I've got it under control."

Tezuka was smart enough to keep his distance to the distressed animal. The man stood up, tall and straight, next to the chair he'd vacated. "What's wrong with him?"

Fuji explained the knee injury and the need for surgery, leaving out the budget problem.

"When is he scheduled?"

"I'm working on it." he pushed to his feet. "right now, he needs the hot packs I have in the microwave."

"Can I help?"

_Only if you have few thousands on you._ "No."

"Will he let me pet him?"

"He will now." he stroked Chase's face and said. "He's a friend, boy. It's okay."

True or not, he didn't want to upset the suffering dog.

Then he went to the kitchen for the warm packs.

When he returned, Chase appeared to have found a friend for life. His head rested on the man's lap and he looked more relaxed than he's seen him in days. "What did you do to him?"

Tezuka's mouth quirked. "An old military secret. If I tell you, I'll have to kill you."

The silly phrase made his insides tremble. He knew not to react to the words. People said them all the time. They just didn't realize what they were saying.

His shaky hand went to his forehead, touching the place where the bullet had penetrated. The scar was practically invisible to others, but not to him. Never to him.

He had to get a grip. Chase was the one in need here, not him.

To cover his nerves, he asked, "Would you like some coffee?

Tezuka's wide capable fingers gently stroked Chase's muzzle. The dog emitted a sigh of deep relaxation."Is that what smells so incredible?"

"That's stew."

He jacked an eyebrow and made a soft _mmm_ sound. Fuji tempted to laugh. "Are you hinting?"

"A single guy gets hungry for home cooking."

"You're a troublesome man, Tezuka Kunimitsu." But his dog liked him.

"I came to make you an offer."

"For my stew? Five dollars a bowl."

Those crinkles appeared in the sides of his face. He liked those crinkles. He didn't liked him. He couldn't.

"To work for me on that mapping project."

"Sorry,I already said no."

"What if I were to pay you?"  
>His head jerked upward. "I thought it was a voluntary position."<p>

"I need someone with your knowledge, so I juggled the budget. You're worth the money." He named a nice hourly wage.

He blinked. Stunned. "This is a joke right? Akutsu Jin sent you up here to torment me."

"Akutsu?" he frowned. "I run my own department, Fuji. And that department needs you. So what do you say?" Will you help me, and in the process save lives?"

The offer ping-ponged around his head. Could he do it? Could he spend day after day alone in the wilderness with a man who reminded him of an unspeakable past?

Chase tried to shift position to snuggle closer to the military man. The pain was too much. The whine became a groan.

That was all the convincing Fuji required.

No matter how much the man disturbed him, he'd promised Chase that surgery.

So for the next few months, he would work for Tezuka Kunimitsu and earn that money.

Even if it kill him.

He only hoped he didn't lose what was left of his mind.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~

next chapter..._ Fuji and Tezuka in the wilderness together._

maybe on chapter 13, Tezuka will know the reason why Fuji's like that.

And before I forgot, is the tittle good enough for the story? because I'm thinking of changing it cause somebody told me that the tittle's quite bad.

Any suggestion please?

hope you liked it ^.^

review please :)

thanks


	5. Chapter 5

****enjoy...~

**Chapter 5**

The trouble began on the very first day out.

The loud roar of the motor was Fuji's first clue.

Tezuka, climbed out of the ATV.

One, single ATV that he need's to share with this handsome yet dangerous military man.

_With him._

The thought, again, made his insides tremble with fear. He worried that he might not do his job properly. Somehow, he don't want to disappoint the military man.

"I prefer to hike." Fuji said.

"We ride." Tezuka simply said.

"The dogs-"

"They run." He patted the seat behind him.

Fuji wanted to protest but Chase was already in the hospital. His long awaited surgery scheduled today.

~X~O~X~

The sun was bright, but Fuji knew not to trust the weather in this place. A wind or a storm might come at any moment. That's what he learned living in this mountain.

"**Don't trust anyone except yourself" **and "**B****e ware".**

Those are Fuji's motto ever since he woke up from his coma.

He tossed his backpack onto the rear rack of the machine. Then ignoring Tezuka's grinning face,he swung his leg over the straddle to seat behind Tezuka.

Tezuka bring the machine to life and laughed when Fuji jumped behind him. Fuji didn't hold on Tezuka.

_Don't touch him and don't let him touch you. _That's what on his mind.

But Tezuka's of another mindset.

"Hold on, I don't bite."

Fuji grabbed the sides of the seat. He couldn't risk the contact and the intimacy. After a few miles of ride,since he's grabbing the sides of the seat, avoiding contact with Tezuka's body,his neck and shoulders cried for relief.

"As I said, I don't bite, so hold on."

_Yeah right._

But hiking required all the strength and energy he he involuntarily gripped on Tezuka's sides. One bump and his fingers slipped. Impatiently, Tezuka grabbed his fisted hand and placed it securely around his waist.

'Hold on." he said again.

Stiffly, Fuji tried to maintain that little space between his chest and Tezuka's back. He's shoulder ached from the effort till, defeated, he leaned in.

Every alarm screamed red alert. Tezuka's back muscles were hard and fit and masculine. A source of power that had Fuji shivering, though whether from fear or admiration, he couldn't tell.

Being a dog man who lived his life according to the scent of his trainees, his own sense of smell was strong. And Tezuka Kunimitsu smelled earthly and _hot._ Even in the cold, his skin radiated heat. The dogs would have an easy time of tracking Tezuka. So would he.

As ATV started down, Fuji was thrust forward, touching Tezuka's back. He just hope the other didn't notice it.

Water splashed as the ATV traveled the narrow span. Fuji relented and rested his cheek against Tezuka's back. That's when he (Fuji) realized he'd (Tezuka) placed one of his hands over his, trapping his fingers against his belly.

Fuji swallowed a lump of anxiety. Alone in the wilderness with Tezuka Kunimitsu. What had he been thinking?

_Chase._

Yeah. Right. He'd promised him.

~X~O~X~

_Today is the fifth day_. Fuji thought.

So far, Tezuka had been the gentleman, bossy but professional. Making him believe that he might be one of the good guys.

But Fuji had stopped believing in good guys a long time ago.

On the first day, they'd ridden the ATV as far as possible and hiked the rest all the way. This had become their modus operandi. Today was the same. He'd (Fuji) almost become accustomed to having his body pressed close to Tezuka's on the ATV. To having his senses heighten. To noticing him too much.

If he think of Tezuka Kunimitsu too much. He consider the action self-preservation, not attraction. He wouldn't fall for Tezuka's trap.

As he had every day, Fuji was careful to keep Tezuka in his sight all the times. As long as he could see him, he could protect himself. Keeping his track on the military man was more exhausting than the work they were doing.

He (Fuji) yawned. The last nights that passed, he'd slept little. And of course, he blamed Tezuka Kunimitsu for that.

In his (Tezuka's) quiet yet authoritative way, he'd invaded Fuji's world. And Fuji resented him for that too. Though he'd allowed that for his own reasons, he would see to it that he would not penetrate his well-build barrier around him. He would watch his every move. Oh, yes, he would.

Hunter and Cud, a cheerful border and his trainee,moved to his side. This is not their job but, with them along, Fuji didn't have to interact as much with the scary military man.

He never said that he was a military and he didn't ask but he knew.

Normally when he was hiking he would make noises to warn the other wild animals about his presence but now he's silent.

His gloved hands fidgeted on the tiny portable computer Tezuka had given him. He knew little of computers, considering the fact that he couldn't afford one. Considering the difficulty that he in have taking the new map, he's sure his or rather their work can help many lives.

Since the beginning of this seemingly impossible task,he and his partner had logged dozens of changes. Like closing one trail and putting up warning signs.

Pushing his sunglasses up over his cap, Fuji paused to enter data in the computer.

Aware that he'd stopped,though he didn't made any sound, Tezuka whirled around. That was one of the many things about the military man that kept his gourd on edge. Tezuka has extraordinary senses,better than his, though he wouldn't tell him that.

"Might as well make camp. Have lunch." Tezuka said, returning to where he stood.

At some point,he removed his jacket and now wore a black shirt. But the camo shirt was what made him(Fuji) stop. He hated camo.

He shifted back a step.

"Do you want a fire?" Fuji asked to cover his nerves. His eyes flicked to Tezuka and then away. There was something about the man. It was like Tezuka could read his soul.

"Wouldn't hurt to rest a bit and have something hot." He tossed his bag beside a boulder,then added:"Your nose is red."

Fuji's hand automatically went to his face. He seldom considered his looks and the fact that Tezuka made him do so annoyed him.

"How's your office?" he blurted.

While gathering twigs for fire,he answered without looking up. "Very enjoyable."He held a hand four feet off the ground."Paperwork. About this high. Being out here in the woods, I hardly have time to finish those papers."

A man without sleep was a danger to everyone. Fuji knew that."How much sleep did you get?"

Brown eyes drifted over his face. "About the same as you, I guess."

He glared at him. "Was that an insult?"

"No. Hand me some more dry woods." It was an order softly given.

Fingers stinging from the cold, Fuji stripped of his gloves and knelt to the fire. The dogs move closer to the fire too. Both sat near the campfire,tongues lolling, waiting for lunch.

Then Tezuka sat next to Hunter and lifted his paws, examining them." like the pad is getting raw. You better get a bootie on him."

Fuji prickled."I take care of my dogs."

Tezuka gently lowered Hunters paws and stared at him.

A seed of guilt took rot in Fuji's gut. He hated this feeling. That's why he didn't like people. They always made him feel things.

"Thanks," he said grudgingly and turn around to to his bag to get the bootie. Hunter watched with a smiling eyes as Fuji slipped the paw protectors over his feet. Fuji ruffled his head and kissed his forehead.

After doing that, Fuji poured a cup of hot tomato soup and then as peace offering, handed it to Tezuka.

"Thanks." Tezuka said while watching him,expression mild as though he recognized his attempt to apologize."How's Chase?"

Tezuka had been there the day he'd taken Chase to the vet for surgery.

"The surgery went well."

'When is he coming home?"

"A couple of days more."

"I guess you'll need some time of to drive him back home."

"I guess." Fuji found a good spot that's far away from Tezuka.

"Take whatever time you dog is important."

Fuji notice the way his mouth uncomfortable,he forced his gaze to the dogs.

"Chase is a special dog."

Tezuka sipped the brown eye watching him.

"You missed him."It was a statement,not a question.

Fuji swallowed, then brushed an imaginary hair from his eyes."Yes."

"How did he get hurt?"

Fuji ran a finger around the rim of his cap.

"An avalanche rescue. Chase fell into the a crevice." his mouth twisted, remembering that day."But he found the father and son in time. I was so proud of him. Though badly injured, he didn't leave the victims till they're safe."

"How does that work when the dog is injured? Is he airlifted with the victims?"

"Usually, but Chase was so distraught. I couldn't let them take him away from me."

"What did you do?" his fingers fidgeted on a twig but his focus still on him.

Fuji twitched a shoulder."I carried him."

"But he weighs seventy or seventy-five pounds,easy."

"Eighty." a proud smile formed on his lips. His strength and stamina surprised Tezuka. Good. He needed to know that his strong."I'd do that again to save one of my dogs."

"Pretty special animals you got here."

"They are. At least to me."

"Will Chase be able to work again?"

"We're optimistic."

"He deserves a chance."

Fuji tilted his head in agreement. This was the first real conversation Fuji had with the military man. And he found the experience, if not pleasant, at least not awful.

Fuji was contemplating that curious turn of events, distracted enough to take his eyes away off him for a second.

It was a mistake.

In an instant,Tezuka Kunimitsu was around the fire and had his hand over his mouth before he could scream.

~O~X~O~

There you go.. :) hope you liked it.

What do you thinks is Tezuka had in mind for doing that to Fuji?

btw, sorry I kinda update this chapter a little bit late. ^_^"

Thanks for reading...

review please...!


	6. Chapter 6

enjoy~

**Chapter 6**

"Not a sound." Tezuka whispered, suddenly transported to another time and place. A place of imminent danger.

A fierce protective urge pounded through him. He pressed Fuji closer,arms around him,his body between him (Fuji) and the danger.

Somewhere in the back of mind was the knowledge that he liked having Fuji's body next to his own. But, he would think of that later.

Hackles stood stiff on the dog's backs. A low growl emanated from Hunter. He,too, wanted to protect Fuji.

Tezuka kept his eyes on the danger above them, praying the fire would drive it away.

"Stay calm,"he commanded,slowly taking his hand from Fuji's mouth,"and clam the dogs."

Again Tezuka's voice was quieter than death, a mere sigh on the wind.

For one moment, Fuii obeyed.

And then he came unglued.

A sharp elbow caught Tezuka in the gut. Air woofed from him. He cursed himself for a fool. Any ranger new better not to let his guard down.

Fuji spun away,eyes wide and furious. He fought,kicking,swinging his arms. Tezuka caught his wrist,warding off blow after blow.

Fuji was a wild thin. Completely unexpected. What was wrong this beautiful man?

Behind him Hunter growled deep in his throat. Tezuka had the thought that, at any moment, the dog would go for the lion or for him. And either way was not good.

"Fuji stop,"he managed to say between punches."I'm not trying to hurt you. There's a lion. A _lion_."

The next punch died in midair."What?"

"A mountain lion. On the overhang above."

Wide-eyed,he swung around and looked up."Where? I don't see anything."

Tezuka spun too. The lion was gone. "Our noise and movements must have frightened him off."

Fuji looked at him,eyes narrowed in suspicion. If Fuji hadn't been badly shaking,Fuji's suspicion would have angered him. He wasn't accustomed to having his motive questioned.

The dogs moved in between them. Tails in between their legs,whining softly. Hair stood up on their backs. They'd been trained not to pay attention to wild animals, but the lion gotten their attention.

Fuji went to his knees, visibly trembling."They're spooked. Maybe there _was_ a lion."

Tezuka's jaw hardened."There was. I saw it. He was on the edge,crouched,ready to pounce."

Fuji's gaze flew up to his."On us?"

"The way it looked to me,probably on one of the dogs."he knelt beside him, wanting to touch him in apology but worried he'd go off again. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

Fuji move away. His reply caught him off guard."You've been in the military, haven't you?"

He sat back,searching his face,puzzled by the came-out-of-no-where question."Army ranger, ten years. Where did that come from?"

Fuji regarded him cautiously. He hadn't liked him before and probably never would. And Tezuka still had no idea why. All he'd done was try to protect him.

"Military." Jaw tight, his chin bobbed. "That's what I thought. Stealth and attack, no one sees it coming."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the indictment in his tone.

"What are you? One of those bleeding hearts that hate the military and consider us all baby killers?"

Yeah,he'd killed a few people but they all are bad guys. Not that he was proud of that. -_-"

Fuji shook his head and pushed up to his feet. His face pale. He began tossing supplies into his backpack."Never mind. We need to get moving. It's going to snow."

Tezuka grabbed his arms to stop him from moving away."I don't think so. Not until we talk. What just happened here?"

Fuji's gaze dropped into his fingers wrapped around his arms."Please let go."

"Not until you explain to me. What was that all about?"

"I owe you _nothing._"

The chill in Fuji's tone sliced him like a razor. He dropped his hand."True enough,but I owe you."

The switch caught him (Fuji) off guard. He stood,breath rapid, the scent of fear flowing from him in waves,glaring at him with enough amount of heat to start a forest fire. What had he (Tezuka) done? Why had he (Fuji) reacted so violently?

He glared him back. Trying to read him but coming away empty.

Maybe he wasn't worth the trouble. He should just give it up and do this job alone. Who needed a prickly,angry suspicious partner in the dangerous mountain wilderness anyway?

But, damn it! Who was he kidding? He was indispensable. He'd(Tezuka) grown up in this mountains, but spending a lot of time in the army, everything have changed so much. He would need years to learn everything that Fuji already knew. His experience and expertise far surpassed his.

Besides, something told him that his attitude was an outward shell developed for protection,though,he don't know what.

But he was exceptionally kind to his dogs, seeing to their needs first before his own. He never complain about the cold,the long hours of hike or of hunger or of fatigue. He simply worked.

"Thanks for your help up here," Tezuka said, though gratitude was hard to express on the heels of Fuji's fury, he meant every word."I don't know if I've told you before,but I'm grateful. I couldn't make this happen without your help."

Fuji swallowed hard and nodded. "Better get moving."

Then with a jerk movements, he began cleaning up the camp.

Hands on his hips,Tezuka watched Fuji for a second then, began his own cleanup.

Fuji Syusuke didn't trust him.

And Tezuka Kunimitsu took that as a personal challenge.

~X~O~X~

By day six, Tezuka thought they might be making progress. Fuji talked to him more. Yet, he still walked behind him,still watched him with those strange, blue eyes, and still jerk away if he got too close.

"I can't work on this project tomorrow,"Tezuka said. Though Fuji trailed along behind him,he was close. "The office work is piling up. Even if I work on weekends and during nights, I still can't keep up."

"S'okay, I can continue the work without you around."

He was afraid he would say that. He slanted a look in his direction. In profile, he was pretty,very pretty for a guy and soft-looking. Only when he turned and aimed those chilling eyes at him did he appear tough and wary.

"Isn't tomorrow you bring back home Chase from the hospital?"

His mouth curved. He had a great mouth. A few times he'd wondered what Fuji'll do if he kiss him. but, he figured he knew it already and the thought wasn't pretty.. At all.(^_^)" he still bore a purple bruise on his shin from one of his kicks.

The thought brought a grin. Spunky, tough little boy. He didn't know why but, Fuji's a challenge he couldn't back down from.

"Tomorrow's the day,"he said."I can't wait to see him."

Fuji removed one of his gloves and slid his reddened fingers beneath his sweatshirt. Tezuka was tempted to offer the inside of his jacket for him to use. He wouldn't mind warming his fingers-or any parts of him for that matter

Tezuka frowned at the wayward thoughts. what was wrong with him today?

"I'll take off tomorrow,too, and work in the office," he said. "Probably the rest of the week." There has been some problems."

Fuji shifted toward him, and again, his thoughts misbehaved.

"What's wrong?"

"I missed a meeting yesterday. The weird part is, I didn't even know about it. But the council..."

A positive PR was essential to the longevity of his department. If he perceived as doing a poor job, he'd be out at the year's end.

"I don't get it. Why would they be upset if you hadn't been informed?"

"That's the problem. They claimed to have sent a written invitation,followed by a phone message. But I don't remember receiving either one."

One eyebrow twitched."Losing your memory, Ranger Tezuka?"

"If I am, the loss is extremely selective."

He'd gone over and over in his mind, but the information was not there. Someone else must have gotten the message while he's out and forgotten to give it to him. And maybe the written invitation was somewhere at the bottom of those pile of papers that he needed to work out.

"We could avoid this area, take a different route."

"There's an old primitive cabin farther on. I say we cross here and map that area. It's just the sort of place a hunter or hiker might stumble upon for shelter."

"Can't argue that. Come on. You first." Tezuka offered his hand to steady Fuji's descent.

He drew away, one hand in a stop sign. "I can manage."

"I know you can. Humor me." Tezuka raised his arms in a shrug. " I'm bigger than you and I'm your employer. If I let you fall, my image will be smashed to heck."

Fuji made a funny noise at the back of his throat. Tezuka could almost swear that Fuji wanted to laugh. "Oh, be honest. You're just afraid that if anything happens to me, you'll lose your wilderness guide."

Tezuka's eyebrows lifted in the slight amusement, the first time Fuji ever teased him.

A smile bloomed in his chest. Yep. Progress.

He snapped his fingers in the mock resignation. "Gee. You figured out my ulterior motive. So,now you have to protect my fragile ego and let me assist you."He reached back to him. "Toss your bag down."

He did what he was told,surprisingly without any argument for once. Maybe they were getting somewhere. Tezuka was so anxious to win his trust,though he couldn't say why.

He's been kidding about his importance as his guide.

When he grasped his outstretched hand, Tezuka experienced a measure of victory. He tightened his muscles, determined not to let him fall.

With his free hand,Fuji jabbed a pole into the ground for extra security,but halfway down the skid took over and the pole bounced down with him. Tezuka, who'd scaled mountains and cliffs,jockeyed for balance,expecting to find it. But, he didn't.

They both lose control at the same time. Boots grated as their feet slid out from under them. they slide down fast and finished the journey on their bottoms and backs.

As soon as Tezuka's boots thudded against the ground he sprung upright. "Are you all right?"

He rushed to Fuji's side and touched his shoulder. He rolled away and up, laughing. "That was fun."

Hands on his hips, Tezuka stepped back and laugh, he was relieved that he was all right and because of his amusement. "Yeah. It is."

"Want to do it again?" Fuji asked.

Apparently, Fuji Syusuke was a kindred spirit.

Tezuka grinned, admiring his rosy cheeks and pink nose. "I have a feeling that we have to, at some point."

Fuji held his gaze, lips tilted.

The dogs skidded down, too. But unlike the humans, they arrived on all four feet, tongues lolling,eyes alight with fun on the ride. They dance around Fuji's feet, eager to get his attention. He didn't disappoint them. Going to one knee,he ruffled their fur and murmured sweet praises. He was different with the animals. His guard was down all the time. In the dog's company he was softened and gentle.

With a smile, Tezuka watched the three. "I just have one question, my wilderness guide."

"What's that?" he glances up

"How are we going to get back up there?"

His pleasure turned to puzzlement, and then he burst into laughter again. The sound was musical, as pretty as bird's song, just like that morning when he saw him laughing at the cabin.

"You should do that more often," Tezuka said,while studying Fuji's face,watching those eyes. Enjoying the play of pleasure in his face.

"Do what?" he asked,grinning."Fall down in the mountain?"

Tezuka reached out to brush the bangs from his eyes. "Laugh."

"Oh." He turned his head then, breaking contact so that he was forced to drop his hand.

Fuji leaped to his feet, and off brushed some dirt drom his bottom. It was a nice bottom,though,Tezuka we wouldn't notice. But notice he did. This rugged petite little guy looked curvy and feminine in his ski suits and jeans. He wondered if he had any idea how sexy he was. Probably not.

When he turned his smile was gone, and his guard was up. Again.

"Move it, Tezuka-kun. The Daylight's waning." he hoisted his backpack and started off.

_So much for progress._ Tezuka thought.(-_-)"

~X~O~X~

The next day, Fuji drove to the vet and brought Chase back to the cabin. His old buddy had lost weight. But he was standing and walking on those repaired knees, and he was verry much happy because his partner was finally as good as new.

Hunterwas ecstatic but cautiously sniffed Chase's knees as if he understood that his partner couldn't play yet.  
>"Seven or nine weeks,Hunter. Be patient."<p>

Telling him the instructions for the dog's care and proper rehab, the vets were confident that they'll be working again in the future. And he was very happy to hear that, very happy that he almost wished he have someone to share that. But there was no one.

But, Tezuka invaded his mind too often lately. But, as always, he'd pushed him away.

Once Chase was settled, Fuji placed the bag of medicane and instructions on the table and took out the bill.

He's paid with the newly aquired credit card. His stomach knotted with the knowledge that he had a debtup to his ears. but as long as his new job and nerves held out, he could make the payments.

Yesterday's trek with Tezuka had been easier for some reason. Tezuka seemed harmless than he'd first thought,less military, almost gentle at times. And he liked his laugh.

He went into the bedroom and stood infront of the mirror that belonged to his grandparents. The object looked out of place in his simple cabin. But he liked the oval shaped and the smooth mahogany tree.

He pushed his bangs back from his forehead,remembering the feeling of having Tezuka's fingers on he's skin. Why had he touched him that way? He didn't like other person touch him. It made him uncomfortable.

But he remembered Tezuka's touch. It's different. There had been tenderness in him. A hard military man with tenderness. But for him, the word military and tenderness just don't mix.

From the weak sunlight coming in from the window, the tiny scar gleamed white and ugly.

Had the sharply observant Tezuka Kunimitsu seen the scar?

With a shiver,he released his hair. The bangs fell forward, covering the past.

He removed his town clothes, as he called those items that are reserved for trips into to civilization,he remained in front of the mirror. He pressed his hand down, at the side of his hips. He had a feminine body. And he's aware of that. His body was fit, thanks to his work with the dogs. But the boy who looked back at him from the mirror was ordinary, plain even, except for the strange blue eyes with the egdes of gold that caused more than one person to make rude remarks.

Not that he cared. He wasn't attractive and didn't want to be.(At least that's what the thought :D) The least peole notice him, the more they left him alone.

But he couldn't help wondering what kind of woman appealed Tezuka. Surely,he had one. A man that good-looking and masculine always had woman.

_Does he even notice me?_ Fuji thought.

"Stupid." he said to the petite figure in the mirror."Even though you look like a woman,you're still a guy. He wouldn't like you."

Realizing what he just said. He mentally slapped himself and then went to his closet for his outdoor gear.

The dogs had yet to be excirsed and there was training needed to be done.

He was pulling to his boots when the telephone rang. Probably the vet checking on Chase.

THe boot thumped againts the hardwood of the kitchen floor as he headed to the bedroom to asnwer the call. "Hello."

"Hey. How's Chase doing?"A deceptively soft voice caressed his ear.

His stomach took the nosedive. It wasn't the vet. It was Tezuka.

"Good, I think. He's lost weight but he's happy to be home.

"He missed you." Just that simple declaration caused a curt of pleasure as bright and lovely as birthday ribbon."Can he walk?"

"Better than he could and the vet says his strength and flexibility will improve every day. He has to do special exercises."

"He must be doing well. You sound happy."

The ribbon of pleasure streched higher,turning his lips into a smile."Ecstatic. Oh,Tezuka,I think he's going to do really well. They're sure he'll work again. And I am,too."

"."

A quiet hum ensued. Fuji searched for a word to say. "Are you in the office?"

"Yeah."

"How's it going?" he's stopped short of saying he'd missed him today. Had he? Maybe. He wasn't sure. He pressed the receiver closer to his ear. " Are you back on the council's good graces yet?"

"I've been kissing up s little, making calls. Took the mayor for lunch."

"Any clue what happened?"

"I have ab idea,but no evidence. I never found the invitation, so it arrived in this office, someone else opened it."

He knew he was a one-man office, so harried secretary wasn't to blame. "That sounds bad. Do you think someone delibetarely hid the message from you?"

"I wish I didn't"

"But you do."

"Yes, I do."

"Why? Why would anyone want to make you look bad?"

"Everyone has enemies, I guess. Hard to believe, I know since I'm such a lovable guy."

Fuji laughed. And when he did, Tezuka chuckled.

"Do it again,"he said.

"Do what again?"

"Laugh. You're cheering me up."

H remembered then. He liked his laugh. He grew conscious, also remembering that a man like him was bound to have women.

"Don't you have someone at home to cheer you up?" he wished he didn't asked, but there it was.

"Nobody at home but me. Not even a dog."

"You don't have a dog?" he transferred his odd feeling of relief to incredulity. "You must remedy that situation. Everyone needs a dog."

He pressed the receiver between his shoulder and ear, walking around the room as they talked. It was a habit he couldn't break, always moving, even on the telephone. Using a ragged sock, he begun dusting the spare furniture.

"Eventually, I'll get one. I've been looking. Maybe the next time a go to Chiba. But you have to come along to make sure I pick up the right dog."

Fuji stopped from what he's doing. "I-I don't think so."

"Ah, come on. Why not? A trip to Chiba,get a dog and relax for a bit."

He shockhis head, aware he couldn't see the motion. Dread replaced the pleasure.

He picked up the framed photo on his dresser and stared at the smiling family.

He'd lived in Chiba. He'd also died in Chiba.

Here in the top of the world,alone with his dogs, he was safe. Better keep it that way.

~O~

done...

What do you think of Fuji in this chap?

review..please :)


	7. Chapter 7

Enjoy~**~ ^_^  
><strong>

**Chapter 7**

Tezuka shook one last hand at the cloud,finishing the talk on the progress of the Emergency Management Department and the need for more volunteers. He'd been well received and the lunch meeting had given him an escape from his office. He felt like he's going crazy. The urge to be outside's crawling in his insides.

A week had passed since he's been out there in the mountain. A week since he'd last seen Fuji.

He was making progress without him, but Tezuka didn't like the fact that he was working alone anymore than he like being stack in the office for so long. He shouldn't hike alone on the mountain wilderness alone and as his employer, he was responsible if something happened to him on the job. Never mind that the actually lived and worked alone all the time. But not under his watch.

He stepped out in the parking lot. A light snow fell down from the sky. Yesterday, it had rained. Such a spring.

He wondered if Fuji was out today. He told him not to take chances. And he just laugh at him. (T_T) but he figured that the injury ti his since of command was worth it since he's getting hear that laugh of him.

Okay, so he missed him. If missing a porcupine was possible.

Nah, that wasn't fair. (T_T) Fuji could be bristly, but he'd been in the military with men more sharp-edged and intense than Fuji.

But he feel that underneath those those thorns was a complicated person with the capacity for great tenderness. That's why he'd intrigued him so much. To his way of thinking, Fuji was a buried treasure.

What would he be like if he let go of the rigid control?

Fascinating question.

He's also discovered another interesting part of Fuji Syusuke.

On the telephone, he was different, as if the distance allowed him to be more relaxed.

On his order, Fuji checked in every night with the dog's progress. And if the conversations lasted far longer than usual, so what? There was the recuperating dog the discuss. And his job. Fuji always ask about his work, always listened with pithy comment. He was witty. Smart too. And he was a smart enough to listen to his mountain wisdom.

They were partners too. They had the project in common. Fuji was useful to him. And he was a man, alive and well. And long without any woman. Maybe that's all there was to missing him. He needed more of a social life.

In the army, he had learned to keep his urges. But he wasn't in the army anymore.

But still, there was no one in this place who had stirred his interest.(or so he think). Right now he was too busy to get involved in a relationship anyway.

Suddenly, Fuji's ski-suit-clad body flashed in his mind. He snorted and shook away the image.

Eager to get out of the town,he started his 4X4 and headed for the store for some supplies. Once inside,he gathered some goods and made a beeline for the checkout counter

He thumped a pack of his favorite snacks,some butter and crackers along with packs of chocolate mix into the counter next to dog treats. Hunter and Chase likes beef jerky.

While waiting for the cashier to ring up the sale, Tezuka turned for a look at the candy display. His sweet tooth was working overtime lately. He wondered which kind Fuji would like.

The cashier was friendly who chatted him up every time he came in. today was no different.

"So, how's our hero doing?" she asked.

"Not feeling too heroic, but I'll manage."

"That's good. I'd heard things were little rocky for the new department. Sure would hate to lose."

"Rocky? Who told you that?"

"Hmmm." She paused. "Not sure. Someone said you were having trouble keeping up, you'd missed some important meetings, the mayor wasn't happy, I don't remember the details. May be it was the mayor's wife I talked to. I told her a one-man office can't do everything. You need some help."

He appreciated the vote of confidence, from her at least. Apparently not everyone shared the sentiment. "I'm keeping up. And I only missed one meeting. One. Someone forgot to let me know about it."

"Well, I hope someone told you about the happenings in the Shi river."

He tensed. "What about the Shi river?"

"A man was in yesterday, said the creek was really high, nearing flood stage."

This was new to him. "Did you tell him to call my office?"

"Well, I may have told him to call the sheriff's office." She pushed the total key. "Twenty-two, sixty-one is your total. Last time the spring floods hit us, I have six inches of water in my living room. You'll check it out, won't you?"

She took his payment, at the same time, relating the horrors of the last flood. Tezuka has been concerned about the said river for some time, but this latest information was new. Thankfully, he already have an evacuation plan in place and volunteers ready .

But he'd been in his office all day yesterday. Why hadn't he received the said man's report?

~X~O~X~

It was late afternoon by the time Fuji and Tezuka reached the area above Shi river. Worried above flooding, Tezuka had been adamant about gridding this section today, which was not far from the spot where they'd seen the lion. Fuji had thought long and hard about that episode, still wondering if there had truly been a lion on the ridge. Tezuka had frightened him, no doubt about that. For a minute, he thought he'd lost it. But considering how Tezuka quickly snapped out of his guerrilla mode, and having no other explanation for his behaviour, he'd resolved to believe him.

"We're going to have to make it short day," Tezuka said, casting a glance overhead. The wind was up and gray clouds can be seen above, "Maybe another couple of hours before we start to head back."

They'd parked Tezuka's 4X4 at the trailhead and hiked a good four miles into the dark spruce backcountry. The areas off the beaten track were where visitors could be easily lost.

Fuji studied the sky in silence. A storm was brewing. But in this unpredictable land, the weather might break in the next five minutes or wait until tonight.

His (Fuji's) stupid heart had leaped into his throat when Tezuka 's truck pulled into his yard this afternoon. The emotion was not welcome. Why should he be glad to see him?

Maybe he was starting to like him. Maybe that was the problem. He(Tezuka) made him feel things. Things he didn't want feel.

He (Fuji) begun looking forward to their nightly phone conversations, so much that he spent half the afternoon thinking of things to tell him.

Stupid. Dangerous.

Annoyed, he stabbed the trekking poles hard against the earth and leaned on them while using the tiny computer. The land wad rugged here, treacherous even, and cliffs and ridges numerous. Somewhere ahead was a lake surrounded by towering pine. He hoped to make it there. Staring into the mirrored face of the unnamed lake, surrounded by nothing but nature and quiet, refreshed his spirit.

Tezuka understood that too. Like Fuji, he love mountains. Maybe that's why he (Fuji) sort of like him. Sometimes. (or maybe not ^_^)

"Look up there," Tezuka said, pointing high above to a precipice where the spiked horns of a mountain goat glinted in the sun.

Hunter spotted the animal too, and stood rigidly at attention. Nature made him want to chase. Training kept him under control.

"It's only a goat," Fuji said, more in self-defence than irritation. He loved seeing any nature's creatures, but with his thoughts of Tezuka Kunimitsu going crazy today, he needed to push him away.

Tezuka grinned as though he saw right through him.

How would he combat a man like that?

The goat ambled away as the clouds began to grow even darker. They were around eight thousand feet and the air held a tinge of moisture he recognized. Snow. Rain. Something was coming.

A strong gust of cold air sent Fuji staggering backward. "Whoa!"

Tezuka spun around, his hair blowing straight back from his face. Stalking toward him (Fuji), he looked like a fierce warrior god, able to control the elements.

"Storm's coming," Tezuka said, uselessly. "Head for the truck."

"we wont make it." Fuji no more than said the words when the sky lit up. Thunder crashed, echoing loudly from one mountain to another. A sudden torrent of cold rain sucked the breath from him. As if someone had dumped a tub of water from above, they were drenched in seconds.

"We need to find shelter," Tezuka shouted, taking Fuji's arm. Water ran from his face and clothes. Though he stood directly in front of Fuji, he could barely see him, could barely see him. The sound around them was deafening.

"The cabin we saw yesterday. It's our best bet," Tezuka shouted.

Fuji nodded. Here in the open was the worst place at this moment. More people were killed in the mountains by lightning than anything else.

A jagged bolt of lightning slammed the earth not so far from where they are dirt shot into the air. They both jumped. Tezuka positioned his body in an arch over Fuji.

For a fraction of time, Fuji felt protected.

Tezuka reached for Fuji's backpack, slipped it off his shoulders before he could argue and slung it over his arm. "Run."

Fuji did. But even with to heavy bags to carry, Tezuka moved quickly ahead.

The storm raged around them, both terrifying and beautiful in its power. Hail started pouring down, a little at first and then like golf balls who'd gone crazy.

Fuji's lung ached, and rain obscured his vision. Hunter stayed at his side, the only dog he'd brought today. Poor guy, he hated lightning.

As he reached the crooked steps of the cabin, a bolt of lightning crashed so near, he yelped and dashed towards the door.

Strong hands yanked him inside.

Fuji collapsed on his knees on the floor, panting and shivering with cold.

Tezuka stood in front of him. Water sluiced from his clothes to his feet. "You okay?"

Fuji pushed a hair from his eyes and grinned, breathless. His adrenaline pulse still thundered like the storm. "Was that fun, or what?"

Tezuka rocked back and laugh. 'You are a unbelievable."

Hunter chose that moment to rid sodden coat of excess water, showering them both. Tezuka tried to duck and tipped sideways in the process. It was Fuji's turn to laugh.

Making a wry face Tezuka righted himself. "we need a fire first. It's too cold to stay wet. We'll be hypothermic in minutes."

Fuji shivered and rubbed his upper arm, "Won't argue that."

The cabin was little more than a hunter's shack with one room, which, lucky for them, held a rough rock fireplace and a few sticks of gathered wood, though not that much, "At least can get dry.'

"This storm may last till night," Tezuka said, his back to Fuji so he didn't see the reaction his declaration caused. "If it does, we're stuck here."

No way was he (Fuji) spending the night in one room with him.

"We'll make it to the truck," he insisted. "This will let up." He hoped.

"I wouldn't count on it." He (Tezuka) was so casual, so unconcerned, while Fuji's insides rioted.

"I'm not staying here."

Tezuka shifted, his wet boots squeaking on the dirty wood floor. His quiet eyes drilled into him, "I'm in charge of this project. For safety's sake, you'll do as I say."

Every cell in Fuji's body reacted. Hair raised on the back of his neck. Goose bumps that had nothing to do with the chill covered his arms.

"Big news, tough guy. I don't do authority well."

Tezuka's look was mildly amused, "Now, why does that not surprise me?"

"So don't tell me what I will or will not do."

Tezuka walked to the door, throwing it open, making Hunter bolted for a corner. "Take off then, Mr. Independence."

A powerful gust whipped through the opening in the wet sheet. Lightning sizzled and cracked, lighting the sky.

Tezuka was right, darn it. No one was safe outside with that. He was only hoping that it will be over soon. Traveling in the dark he can handle but even he, was cautious in thunder storms.

"Shut the door. You made your point."

With that, Tezuka close the door quietly and return to the fireplace.

"Since you don't take orders well, may I politely request you find us something hot to drink?" Tezuka said, just a hint of wicked humor glinting from his brown eyes.

The humor got to him (Fuji). "You may. Would you prefer coffee, hot chocolate or soup?"

"Anything. Just don't poison me."

"Silly me. I forgot to bring my arsenic."

Outside the, the sky had darkened and the meager fire also provided much needed light. But, even with that, the cabin's interior was dim and shadowy.

Fuji's boots squished as he dumped his food supplies on the table, one of the three pieces of furniture in the place, the other two are chairs. He took out his cookware, a spoon and a tin pot with matching cups.

Tezuka come up beside him, adding his backpack. His voice rumbled next to his ears. "Go ahead and take off your clothes."

The tin pot clattered to the floor. Fuji's head jerked toward him.

Tezuka held up his hand but his eyes were dancing with devilment.(1) "Wait. Let me rephrase. May I politely request that you remove your wet clothes? I plan to do the same."

He (Tezuka) was standing next, so close that he could feel the heat from his body even through the wet clothes. A flush heated the back of neck.

Something that wasn't fear, something rather pleasant hummed through his blood. He tamped it down.

They were both soaked to the skin. The request was sensible. A little embarrassing, maybe even more, but practical.

"Tell me you have dry clothes in your bag," he muttered around the thickness in his throat.

His mouth twitched, "What if I don't?"

He reached into his bag and yanked out a blanket, "Then your wear this."

He tossed the blanket to him. He caught it one-handed, holding the soft green-and-yellow colored blanket.

"Cactus," he said, the corner of his mouth crinkling into a full-blown grin. "My color too." he waggled his eyebrows. "Wanna share with me?"

"I don't share well,either."

"Life is cruel." Tezuka sighed and sat down on one of the chairs to unlace is boots.

He (Fuji) waited, still wondering if he'd have to spend the next several hours trying not to look at him wrapped in a yellow blanket that wouldn't begin to cover all of him. When he (Fuji) didn't relieve his curiosity, he put water to heat over the fire and then remove hid boots and jacket.

_Oh my._

Fuji's fingers froze on his bootlaces. He sucked in a lungful of air.

"Hey, wait a minute. A warning please."

He (Tezuka) tossed the shirt aside.

"Sorry." (but he doesn't sound sorry at all ^_^") "Afraid you'll lose control and want me?"

"I'm beside my self with passion." he shoved the discarded blanket at him.

his (Tezuka's) grin was unrepentant as he held the blanket in his teeth, letting the fleece material form an inverted cone of protection in front of him. But his wide shoulders and most of his naturally tanned and muscled chest remained stunningly visible. Fuji turned away but not before the humming started in his blood again. And also not before he saw the two scars-one on his left shoulder and another on his right side.

"The pants are next," he warned, almost chuckling. "Sure you don't want to watch?"

"I'll try to control myself," he answered, his throat dry. Good heavens. Alone with Tezuka Kunimitsu was bad enough. But alone with a naked, teasing Tezuka Kunimitsu was enough to make him insane.

His (Fuji's) hand stirred two cups of hot chocolate but his mind was acutely of every whisper of fabric, every shift and shuffle behind him. In the tiny room, a man of Tezuka's size and uncomfortable masculinity was overpowering.

"All done."

He almost wilted with relief, "Does that mean you're decent?"

"Depends on you definition."

Fuji rolled his eyes. He was teasing, he kept telling himself. He (Tezuka) was only having fun with him, showing off, flirting the way guys loved to do.

Flirting? At the thought, he jerked. hot water splashed his hand. "Aw!"

He hurriedly set the cup aside and yanked the offended skin to his lips. Instantly, Tezuka was at his side, tugging the hand away from his mouth, studying the rising blister.

A shiver of something really, really nice danced along his (Fuji's) nerve.

"I'm okay," he attempted to extract his hand from his. Tezuka was unrelenting. He held on, ministering to hom as if he was helpless. He wrapped his cold, wet T-shirt around his palm. And the relief was instant.

"Leave that on for a few minutes. It will help draw out the heat." He hovered, scanning his face as if truly concerned.

Fuji didn't know how to react to this man. To a person like him, alone for more than ten years, Tezuka and his kindness was new to him.

"The hot chocolate is ready," he said, uncertain of what else to say. "I see you don't need my blanket after all."

Still, Tezuka didn't move.

"Ah, no fun being naked under the blanket alone." Indeed, he'd changed into a thermal shirt and loose plants. "You better get changed too. You're shivering."

There was more than one cause of those shivers. "promise to turn your back?"

He (Tezuka) emitted a sigh.

"Spoilsport," he said, but turned away and began organizing supplies on the table.

For once, he (Fuji) had no choice. He had to trust him.

Fuji made short work of the wet clothe, but he kept his eye in Tezuka. his mind went crazy. What would he do if he turned around? Was he as curious about his body as he was to his?

At the notion, his fingers fumbled on the zipper of his pants. Okay, so he was curious. He'd admit that much.

true to his words, Tezuka didn't turn around until Fuji announced, "I'm dressed."

"Darn, and I was hoping to catch you naked."

He threw a wet T-shirt on him. He laughed and went back to his task, but his words echoed in his head for quiet a while. Maybe he was curious. Or maybe he was just a man who liked to tease.

Fuji prepared dinner for Hunter then for him and his troublesome partner. Meanwhile, Tezuka fashioned a clothesline from rappelling rope and spread their wet items out to dry. all the while, Fuji prayed that the storm would be over. It didn't

With the meal over, there was little to do but wait and stay warm. Fuji was acutely aware of the efficient way Tezuka moved around. he was restless, as he was.

"the storm was not letting up," he said, turning from the window. "And it's getting dark."

His heart sank. 'We're stuck here."

"I've been stuck in worse places," Tezuka said. Considering his military career, he imagined that. "And with worse company."

The last word as offered with a smile.

"You can't be too sure about that,' Fuji said. "Maybe I'm as spooky as some people think. Or crazy or whatever they say about me."

"I hope you wont let those stupid remarks get to you."

'I am what I am. No excuses." But the remarks hurts. He pulled a chair and sat. "I hope Chase is okay."

Tezuka pulled the other chair and also sat.

'I haven't thought about your other dogs. Do they have water and food?"

" I feed them this morning and they have water, but Chase will worry." He was healthy enough to let himself in and out of the doggy door. But he didn't like the thought of him being out alone.

"Nothing we can do about it. No signal on the cellphone."

"Doesn't matter. Chase isn't allowed to answer the phone when I'm not there anyway."

Tezuka tilted his head in appreciation of the joke. _Cute_."But you know what I mean. We can't inform anyone of our whereabouts."

"That's the reason I don't own cellphone. They never work when you need them."

"So here we are,stuck in this storm," Tezuka said. "Might as well talk."

"About what?"

"Whatever. Let's start with you. Any family out there worrying about you?"

"No."

"Nobody?"

The images flickered behind his eyes, far back in the dark place of his memory.

"Not a living soul."

"That's crappy. Everyone needs a family. It's tough to lose people yo care about."

"I guess you've been there too."

"Soldiers get close. The band of brothers is real."

The conversation was getting heavy. He brushed his bangs aside, fingers skimming the scar. Tezuka had scars too.

"I saw your scars. Did you got wounded in combat?"

"A few times. No big deal."

"You really are a hero." The words are bitter on tongue."Your family must be proud."

"I guess. Mostly, they want me to be safe and happy." his jaw softened as he spoke. Fuji realized he'd been days with this man and hours on the phone but he knew little about personal life.

"How often do you get to see them?"

"Not often enough. I miss them a lot."

Then they talked about geography, mountains and the troublesome rumors about the Emergency Management Department.

After some time, the shadows deepened and the fire burned.

"That's the last wood." Tezuka said while dusting his hand. "And the storm hadn't stopped yet."

Fuji by the last couple of hours of pleasant talk, his response was more of a joke tan a complement. "We may be trapped here until we starve."

"nah. We won't starve on my watch. A great hunter can bring home the bacon." he made a pistol with his fingers and pulled the invisible trigger.

The action sent trickles of anxiety racing over his nerve endings. "You don't have gun."

"Hmm.. I thought this-" he reached into a jacket hanging over the back of his chair and pulled out a black pistol "-was called a gun."

The blood drained out of his head so fast, he felt dizzy. His heart stopped, then started again, thundering like the storm out side.

He had a gun. They were alone...

And far,very far for help.

~X~O~X~

1 = sorry for the word "DEVILMENT", I just thought of using that.

Done..done..done...I hope you enjoyed reading :)

and sorry for the late update, I've been very busy lately and I guess I wont be able to update the next chappy anytime soon. But I'll do my best to update as soon as possibly...

Again,thanks for reading...

please leave some review :))))

thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

please enjoy ... ^_^

**Chapter 8**

"I don't like guns."

Tezuka could see he'd made a big mistake, Fuji's face had gone as while as the snow that covers the mountain out side. Though the reaction surprised him. Been living in the mountains for almost all his life, Fuji should knew that having a weapon is a logical decision. But clearly, he didn't agree.

"I'm a professional marksman. Not to mention that I'm from a military."

His lips thinned into a grim line. "Thanks. How reassuring."

"There's nothing inside. It's not loaded. See ?" Tezuka said before he decide to put the gun in his bag that he'd hung over the rope. "Okay, the guns there. And I'm here."

Fuji turned his head. " Good. Now, get out of my sight."

Tezuka sighed. Maybe he'd been in a the military too long that a weapon has become a part of his daily attire just like his boots.

"All gone now. You're safe."

Fuji didn't say a word. He simply wrapped his cacti blanket around his shoulders and lean his back against the wall, staring off particularly into nothing.

Disappointment wash trough Tezuka like an adrenaline rush. They'd been having a pleasant conversation, even laughing together. He was starting to know him(Fuji) better. And then WAH! he shut down. Again.

Fuji had a habit of closing off to people. He thought they'd been together long enough to be friends. He should know by now that he would not hurt him and that he can trust him.

"You gotta be tired cause I am," he said. "We might as well get some rest."

Still, Fuji didn't answer, and from the expression of is face, Tezuka figured out that he'd rather sleep out in the storm than in here, with him. But he wasn't crazy, no matter what anybody said. He knew that wet + cold = hypothermia.

"This hut's going to get colder when the fire burns out. Why don't you stretch out closer to the fire?"

"You go ahead. I'm fine here." He stared at him(Tezuka) for two short seconds and then close his eyes again to shut him(Tezuka) out.

With a resigned sigh, Tezuka curled up in his blanket next to the fire. The hard floor rubbed his back. But he'd slept on worse.

He could hear Fuji breathing and knew he wasn't asleep. The last few moments replayed in his mind. He'd upset him with the mare mention of a gun. Lots of people disliked guns, but Fuji's reaction seemed deeper somehow.

Another piece in the Fuji Syusuke puzzle.

Fuji Syusuke. He had wall around him thicker that the snow that covers the mountains. Today, he'd been out from that wall. When he'd (Tezuka) teased him, he'd(Fuji) returned as good as he gave. Despite of being small in appearance, he was strong and independent, and tonight he'd(Tezuka) glanced behind the wall. He'd(Tezuka) seen his witty, softer side. From the moment he'd first laid eyes on him(Fuji), he'd been interested, but now he thought he actually liked the Fuji. Or he had unlit he'd(Fuji) shut him out.

When he changed clothes, he'd been sorely tempted to peek, though the gentleman in him had resisted. As cute as he was in jeans and plain shirt, he'd be killer sexy with just his underwear. But of course he don't want him to feel cold.(-_-" /pervert Tezuka, that's bad/)

His body reacted to the fantasy. Not good. Not good at all. He refocused,concentrating on the way he'd raced to his aid today when a tree limb had slapped his face and knocked him backward.

His hands was all over him, checking for injuries. He'd liked that. He'd even considered hurting himself in some other way just to get him touch him again.

Tezuka grinned into the darkness.

He, who'd sworn off attraction, wanted to kiss a porcupine.

With those amused thoughts, he dozed.

Sometime later, Tezuka awoke to the darkened room, lit only by the faintest glow of embers. The room was cold. Not nearly as cold as outside, but too cold for comfort.

At some point the storm had subsided, though a howling wind rattled the window and crawled beneath the door like icy, cold fingers. No wander he felt chilled.

He pressed the tiny illumination stem on his watch. Two o'clock it read. A few more hours until daylight.

He rolled to his side, concerned about Fuji. There he was, still leaning against the wall, his head lolled to one side in miserable slumber. He was too far from the fireplace. Stubborn guy.

He shifted, murmuring softly, then tried to burrow deeper into the cacti blanket. He moved again, shivered. One sock-covered foot pocked out from his small blanket. Tezuka wished he had something warmer for Fuji to sleep in.

With a sigh, he sat up and watched him for a moment, thinking. Would he appreciate if he help him? Or kick him in his gut?

He'd been raised to protect and provide for the needy, no matter how strong they were. Call it testosterone, call it chauvinistic, he didn't care. To him, the reaction was genetically ingrained in the male animal. If someone was in need, he was expected to take care of the problem. End of the conversation. Especially since he wondered if Fuji Syusuke was really as tough as he let on.

There was something fragile about his sleep. In the shadowy fire glow, he appeared young and helpless, his full upper lip pouting and soft-looking. Kissable. Unbelievably kissable.

But he was not the type of man to take advantage.

With a sigh, Tezuka moved silently to Fuji's side. He stood, studying him. Finally, he slid down next to him, supported Fuji's shoulders and head, and gently eased his lax body to the floor.

He held his breath, waiting for him to awaken and punch his lights out. When he didn't, Tezuka gingerly stretched beside Fuji for warmth. That was all, just for warmth. He was survivalist. So was Fuji.

Fuji made a noise and scooted closer. His nose bumped Tezuka's hand. Fuji was so cold. Practicality said for him to put his arms around him. He eased one arm up, let it hover above Fuji while his heart did weird things inside his chest.

He was a Ranger, a man who could block out the physical and emotional and do what needed to be done. The mission was everything. And the mission was staying warm until morning.

With gritted teeth, he gently wrapped his arms around Fuji and brought him closer to his chest. Fuji burrowed in.

Tezuka's pulse skittered, danced and finally set up a steady jackhammer.

They were thigh to thigh, chest to chest, his arms cradling him closer like a child. But he's not a child.

Fuji Syusuke felt sweet and soft and sexy in his arms. Curved in all the right places, despite of him being a guy, he was completely more sexy and more tempting than he'd ever imagined. And yes, he had imagined. Even his scent, a mixture of the mountains and the fragrant of his own skin, taunted him.

Tezuka bit down on the side of his cheek and his thoughts jumping into a one particular word. Naked.

No, not naked. He didn't wan to think about naked bodies.

Fuji stirred and Tezuka stilled. His(Fuji) wiggles did ferocious things to him. One of Fuji's hands snaked between them and came to rest against his(Tezuka) neck. His fingers flexed, stroking the shock of hair behind his(Tezuka) ear.

He swallowed a groan.

Morning couldn't get here soon enough.

Fuji awakened slowly from the pleasant dream. He felt very warm. And he liked it. What had he dreamed?

his right hand seemed paralyzed, trapped somehow. He tried to move it, but failed to do so. Something heavy held it fast. He was also sandwitched between two warm sources. The dogs?

Slowly, awareness grew. No, not dogs. Although he suspected Hunter was lying behind him, the other body was decidedly that of a male. Human male. His stomach quivered. A very strong arm circled his back and rested on his shoulder, fingers trailing so near his chest. Another hand had taken up residence on his back's bottom in a most possessive fashion.

He was wrapped in Tezuka Kunimitsu's embrace.

His heart thumped once, hard, suddenly remembering his dream. A dream of Tezuka Kunimitsu . . . . . and him.

How had this happened? When had he snuggled close-enticingly close-to Tezuka?

Though they were lying on a hard floor in a musty-smelling cabin, he didn't want to move. He felt secure. Save even.

How was crazy was that?

He listened. The storm had stopped, but the wind howled like a hundred coyotes. Behind him Hunter snored. In front of him, Tezuka's chest rose and fell against his in a steady rhythm. He was asleep.

He slowly peeked beneath his lashes, unwilling to spoil this strangely restful moment. The first gray light of morning crept through the dirty window.

Tezuka still hadn't moved, so Fuji opened his eyes all the way.

He shouldn't have.

Even bathed in peaceful sleep, Tezuka Kunimitsu was a warrior, ready for battle, strong and proud. A ruggedly beautiful male, far too masculine to be pretty but too manly to be ignored.

His hair was so messy that he longed to smooth it down and let his(Fuji) fingers play there. His lips looked sexy. There was tenderness there, too, in the curve and shape of his lips. He wondered what kissing him would be like.

The idea jolted him from his sense of reserve. He never thought about any other person this way, not since the nightmare that took everything. What was the matter with him this morning?

He'd never been lonely. Alone yes, but not lonely. He preferred being alone with his dogs. He was busy, useful, and the best search and rescue trainer around.

He neither needed nor wanted anyone in his life.

Slowly, Tezuka opened his eyes, and the thoughts faltered.

"Morning." he(Fuji) whisper as his belly trembled.

"Hi,"Tezuka responded. "Sleep well?"

As hard as he tried, Fuji couldn't take his eyes off Tezuka's mouth.

"Like a rock," the words were softly murmured, intimate. "You?"

Tezuka's gaze dropped to Fuji's mouth.

"Better , you snuggle really good."

The heat of blush Fuji's cheeks.

"Can you blame me?"he(FUji) murmured, trying to maintain his control."You're warm."

"Hn. You're so soft."The hand that grazed his chest moved to his cheek. His(Tezuka) voice dropped to a whisper."So soft. Can drive a man crazy."

Fuji swallowed. What he saw on Tezuka's eyes melted his bones. Like two powerful magnets they moved closer. Tezuka stroked his cheek, let his fingers grazed the corner of his(Fuji) mouth. Fuji shivered, his lips parting. Tezuka's strong hand guided Fuji closer.

Fuji placed a palm on Tezuka's chest, felt the none-stop hammering of his heart. A warrior's heart that beat for him(Fuji).

And that was Fuji's undoing.

In the next instant, Tezuka's mouth was sweetly pressed against Fuji's. The world outside faded. He(Fuji) forgot the time, the place, and everything but the pleasure of being held in Tezuka's arms and their kiss.

Fuji moan, arms snaked up around Tezuka's neck, stroked Tezuka's hair. Making them closer in the process.

Last night, he'd worried about the gun, but this morning, he recognized the truth. The greatest danger from Tezuka Kinimitsu was not his gun but the fact that his making his way slowly in the insides of his heart.

With so much effort, Fuji pulled away from the kiss.

Tezuka reached for him. "More." He whispered.

The single word nearly shattered him(Fuji), but fought against the unwanted feeling and broke away. He leaped

to his feet, afraid that if he stayed close he will succumb to the sweet temptation. He would become vulnerable. And vulnerability could get you killed.

He couldn't risk being close again, even when if felt so right. Trusting brought nothing but pain. He had long ago surrendered the childhood fantasy that a handsome white knight would keep him away from evil. The evil had gotten there first.

-X~O~X-

Tezuka watch Fuji fidget around the tiny room, his movements jerky as he sorted their breakfast rations. no matter how hard he stared, he(Fuji) refused to look at him.

His body still throbbed with longing to hold him. Something else throbbed, too-his heart. Fuji was getting to him.

He'd(Fuji) kissed him with enough passion to melt steel and then shove him away so fast that his blood's still thundered through his veins. And now he wouldn't look at him. He was pretty sure, too, that he wouldn't talk to him, either.

But why?

with a sigh, Tezuka pushed away his blanket and headed outside. A few minutes in the cold would help him clear his mind and cool down his now, he was confuse and a bit annoyed. And he didn't have time for such emotional turmoil. He had a department to build, not much time to build it and failure was not an option.

"Come on Hunter," Tezuka said, using the dog as an excuse to break the deafening silence. "Time to find a bush."

Fuji waited until the door closed to glance in the direction. Tezuka was angry. And an angry man was dangerous. Seeing his chance, he quickly went to the bag where Tezuka put the little gun and removed it. No need to look around the room to know where to hide it there, so he slipped it into his backpack. He'd decided, somewhere along the trek back in the truck, he will toss the thing off the cliff.

With a relieved exhale, he got dressed for the journey home, finding his coat and gloves damp on the outside but dry inside.

After a minute, the door opened. The wind blew Tezuka and a prancing Hunter into the room.

"Woaw. Cold." Tezuka said. In a few minutes outside, the wind had whipped out color into his cheeks.

Their eyes meet. Fuji had a flashback of how warm and solid Tezuka was. Nothing about him appeared dangerous.

But there were questions in his(Tezuka) eyes and gentle accusation that left him feeling guilty.

And he(Fuji) don't even know how to start explaining.

Hiding the gun had been foolish, an unexpected reaction to the past. Tezuka Kunimitsu would not hurt him. At least not with the gun.

At lose of words to say,Fuji spun to the table for Hunter's breakfast.

Fuji's stomach rumbled.

"Better eat something." Tezuka said, reaching around her for some crackers. " I looked for some dry wood to restart the fire but everything is soaked. Breakfast and a hot coffee will have to wait."

"Coffee,"Fuji groaned, "Do you know how good that sounds?"

"Not as good as pancakes." Tezuka said.

Fuji give a smile.

After a bit, while they both crunched crackers, Tezuka shifted. Fuji, afraid he'd(Tezuka) catch him staring, studied the toes of his boots. He needed a new pair, but, with Chase's surgery, boots would have to wait.

"Come here," Tezuka said. "I want to show you something."

Fuji hesitated. The because he felt guilty about the kiss and for taking the gun, he did as he(Tezuka) asked.

"Look at that," Tezuka murmured, as he pointed towards the east.

Morning had broken over the mountain,the sun a coral fire behind it. Clouds swirled around the mountains peak,occasionally dipping to weave like ghostly images through the evergreen trees.

"Beautiful." Fuji said with a smile. He would never get enough of the stunning, unexpected beauty of the mountains.

Tezuka glanced down, gaze sincere as he touched Fuji's left cheek. "Are we okay?"

Fuji didn't pretend not to understand.

"Sure,' He(Fuji) said. As okay as they'd ever be.

"I hope I didn't cross some invisible line."

Fuji stepped back, breaking contact. He couldn't look at him and lie. "We shared a meaningless kiss, Tezuka. No big deal. Forget it."

-O~o~O-

aw..sorry for the very late update. Been very busy this days...

Review please..

Thanks :)


	9. Chapter 9

****please enjoy :)

**Chapter 9**

They made the trip back to the trail head in rapid silence, talking only when the need arose. Hunter raced ahead as if understanding the importance of getting back to civilization or at least to communication. Fuji might not need the outside world, but Tezuka does. He'd been out of contact with the dispatcher for hours now. If any problems had arisen in his absence, he was screwed.

Halfway down, Fuji paused to point out an elk hidden in the trees. Another time, he took Tezuka's offered hand as they churned up a particularly steep incline. Moments like that convinced Tezuka that Fuji bore him no ill, well, maybe even liked him. but they puzzled him, too.

Regardless of his(Fuji) denial, he'd(Tezuka) crossed his line by kissing him. Problem is, if he(Tezuka) could turn back time, he'd do the same thing all over again. One kiss had only whetted his appetite and affirmed his belief that Fuji was pretty special underneath those quills.

He(Tezuka) smiled to himself as his truck made it's way over the drench road back to Fuji's place.

Holding hard to the jostling wheel, he(Tezuka) glanced at his rider.

"I couldn't beg for a cup of coffee from you while I make some calls, could I?"

"Only a bitch would deny a person a cup of coffee."

He(Tezuka) pulled into Fuji's yard, noticed the snow was thicker here."Looks like you got snow instead of rain last night.

Fuji slammed out of the truck and unloaded Hunter without answering. "I have to see about my dogs first."

"I'll check on the dogs if you'll make my coffee."

"Works for me." With that, he(Fuji) marched into the house.

The dogs look fine to him(Tezuka), but he replaced their frozen water with fresh one before following Fuji inside the house. At the back door, he stomped his feet, freeing them from snow and also to warn Fuji that he'd arrived.

He(Fuji) appeared, pushed the door open and offered him a steaming cup.

"You're a life saver!"

"Heard that before."

After one sip, Tezuka set the cup aside to cool down a bit while he fished out his telephone. He frowned at the now activated device. "I have ten messages."

Last night, the phone has been died and someone has been trying to contact him. He felt uneasy.

When he listened to the messages, the uneasiness grew. He dialed the number, and he spoke briefly. "What happened?"

Fuji came padding in from the back room with Chase. The dog moved stiffly but doesn't seem in pain. Which is a big improvement. Tezuka trailed his free hand across the noble head, his real focus on the troubling conversation.

"Where?"

Fuji caught the anxiety in his tone and came to stand in front of him, head titled in question.

"What is it?" Fuji mouthed.

Tezuka shook his head and held up a hand.

"Be there in ten minutes."

"Trouble?"

"The worst. a plane went down during the storm last night."

"Oh, no." Neither had to voice what this meant. Tezuka was the head director of the department. This was his responsibility and he hadn't been there.

He(Tezuka) apprised him(Fuji) of as much information as he(Tezuka) knew. "I'm out here. You coming?"

He(Fuji) pushed a toaster pastry into his hand. "Go. Hunter needs a good meal first. I'll be there soon."

~X-O-X~

The command center was already set up and in full swing when Tezuka arrived at the Volunteer Fire Station. A beehive of activity buzzed around the small facility as volunteers gathered. Law enforcement,forestry workers, paramedics and everyday people who knew the mountains had come to offer help. The only people Tezuka wasn't glad to see were the reporters.

Blood rushing in his temples, he surveyed the crowded room, listening to the hum of conversation and finally homed in on the county sheriff, Inoue Mamoru. A harried Inoue gnawed a half-disintegrated cigarette as if his life depended on it.

"Sheriff," Tezuka said, dispensing with a greeting. "Apprise me of the situation, will you?"

Tezuka hated starting out behind. The last time he'd been in that situation, one of his unit had gone down.

"Tezuka! Gold dang, man. where have you been? I tried half the night to reach you." Inoue gnawed the cigarette in agitation. "All hell's broke loose."

And that's what Tezuka has been afraid of.

"Got caught in the thunderstorm." Not an excuse, but reason.

"Yeah, well, so did a lawyer and his two sons. Bad deal. Real bad deal. Weather up there's tricky. I hope you've got some magic up your sleeve that I don't know about."

The grim reality struck Tezuka like a blow. He hadn't been here. If casualties were taken, they were his failure. Maybe he should have braved the storm last night instead of making camp, but it was too late to consider that now.

"Who called in the emergency personnel?"

"I put Deputy Akutsu on that fancy address book of yours. He take care of it."

Tezuka gave a short nod. "I owe him one."

And he meant that.

Akutsu chose that moment to breeze in, looking fresh as a daisy.

"Well, lookie here," Akutsu said, slowly removing his sunglasses, "at who decided to show up this morning. And looking a little rough around the edges, too. Bad night? Or maybe a real good one?"

In another situation, Tezuka would have enjoy wiping the smirk from Akutsu's face, but today, people's lives were at stake.

Swallowing his pride, he said, "thanks for calling the volunteers."

"Somebody had to do it. You were...uhm...indisposed. I couldn't get hold of that spooky dog thing, either." Akutsu's eyes glinted with glee. "Wonder why? Were you keeping him busy with other duties last night?"

Tezuka clenched his back teeth. He was too tired for this. And he hadn't had his coffee(since he wasn't able to finish the Fuji's coffee). Akutsu had no idea the danger he was in.

With rigid control, Tezuka refrained from tearing Akutsu's throat out(_A: what? are you a vampire?). Insulting him was one thing. Insulting Fuji was way too much.

"Look, if you have a problem with me, Deputy, we'll settle it. But not here and not now. And consider this a warning, keep your mouth shut about Fuji We've got a job to do this morning. Let's get to that."

Akutsu puffed up like an adder, longing to strike but not quite sure he could handle the fury radiating from Tezuka.

Tezuka held his glare until Akutsu backed down and shoved his sunglasses into place. "Just a joke, man. Come on. Don't be so touchy."

Twitching his shoulders to release the tension, Tezuka said, " I meant it, Akutsu. I appreciate your help. Now, give me the rundown. Last sighting. Everything we know. Everything that's been done."

A flush crested the deputy's cheekbones and he was none too cordail, but he ticked off the information with rapid-fire efficiency. Sheriff Inoue Mamoru added bits and pieces, including a conversation with the air traffic control out.

Tezuka turned to the bulletin board to post a large map. He poked a red pushpin into the ********** (_A: basically, it's a name of a city, but I don't know what name to put.) and another into the general area of Hotaka mountains. The pilot had filed a flight plan and the last radar ping was somewhere over this remote, rugged region at the top of the world. So far, no transponder signal was forthcoming from the downed plane. And that was not a good sign.

"Do we have a chopper available?" An air search was their best bet, if the weather cooperated.

"Already on the way," Akutsu answered, ready to goat again. "I know how to run an operation like this."

"Good. We need all the help we can get." Tezuka shoved a satellite photo of the mountains into Akutsu's hand. The area was far away from any place he and Fuji had explored, so they'd have to go with whatever topographical information they could find. " Make copies of this for the researchers while I break them into teams and make assignments. If air support spot anything, searchers on the ground can be ready to roll."

Akutsu's nostrils flared. He snatched the photo from Tezuka's hand, pivoted and disappeared. Over the next thirty minutes, Tezuka was too busy to breathe, much less to worry about Akutsu's bad attitude.

He longed to cup of coffee and a real breakfast but his needs would have to wait. As tired was he was after the miserable night, the passengers in the plane needed help now-if any had survived.

An hour later, when a brown Lab entered the fire station followed by a brown-haired being , Tezuka's heart leaped. No time to examine the emotion, other than to acknowledge that Fuji was here and the dog added another dimension to the search possibilities. They may not be able to go up in the chopper but they were here if needed, and Fuji knew this entire region as well as anyone.

Striding into the command post with determination that energy, Fuji looked as tired as Tezuka. One glance at Tezuka and he headed straight for the coffeepot.

"Here," Fuji said, pushing the disposable cup into Tezuka's hands. "You look like you could use this."

"I've been too busy to bother. Thanks." he gazed at Fuji over the rim as he sipped, he was happy to see Fuji again. Considering they'd been together for more that twenty-four hours straight.

"Sit down before you fall," Fuji said, pulling a chair towards Tezuka.

"Can't. Gotta make some calls."

"Do you have an assignment for Hunter and me?"

"Not yet. The plane apparently went down over the mountains, in the most difficult to reach area. The place is impossible to reach by land in a timely manner. If the search chopper makes a positive sighting, I've got another chopper waiting to take up rescue teams."

"Can someone take us to the area now? Or get us close? If there are survivors they may try to walk out. Hunter can find them before they get too far away from the crash site to be rescued."

Tezuka knew that. He also knew injured parties got disoriented and wandered away from the scene. He's seen taht in the military.

"Hey, Tezuka,"Someone hollered over the ringing phones and the buzz of conversations.

Tezuka spun toward the dispatcher. "Yes, ma'am? Got anything?"

"The chopper's having problems. They're setting down at a ranch until the weather eases up."

That was news Tezuka didn't want to hear, though he wasn't surprised. He'd talked to the National Weather Service himself.

"Were going to have to try something else,"Fuji said, biting lightly his bottom lip.

With a fleeting flashback of tasting those lips, Tezuka said, "Yes. But what?"

They had every available resource on alert, but no one could move. His special ops training clicked through his head in a rapid slide. Rangers worked with whatever the mission is. They solve the problems. And they've learn that sometimes a man needed a little help from his friends.

"Ryuzaki,"he said to the dispatcher. "Get ****** Air Force Base on the line. Ask for Colonel Oshitari."

The air force has a hybrid plane-chopper that could fly and land where ordinary choppers couldn't, and the ****** Air Force Base was not far away. If the hybrid plane-chopper was available, then, the lawyer and his sons' chance to be rescued is great.

"Do you have an idea?" Fuji asked.

"Yes, I do. Let's see if the boys in blue wants to come out and play with their fancy toys." With adrenaline pumping, he(Tezuka) gave Fuji a wink and strode across the room to the dispatch cubicle.

While he(Tezuka) waded through the military protocol, he watched Fuji, a small island unto himself. He'd sat down at an empty table, his chin resting at the back of his hand, a map spread on the table before him. Hunter made the rounds of the room. He(Fuji) sat back, rolled his shoulders, then shot a hand through his hair. He was restless, either eager to get to work or eager to escape from the crowded room. Probably both.

He(Fuji) took a pencil from somewhere and scribbled furiously on the map.

Just as Colonel Takishi came on line, he(Fuji) took a sip of his(Tezuika) coffee. Tezuka's stomach tightened at the personal, almost intimate gesture. He(Tezuka) turned his back away from the sweet distraction.

In minutes, he(Tezuka) hung up the phone, renewed energy surging through his veins like caffeine. Returning his attention to Fuji, he found him, expression hopeful. At his thumbs-up, Fuji smiled. Eager to share the news, he wove his way through the huddle of people bunched around the box of doughnuts.

Before he could reach him, Akutsu Jin sauntered up to the table, thumbs hooked in his belt buckle. Fuji flushed deep red at something the deputy said. He(Fuji) shook his head and stared down. Akutsu placed both his hands on the table and leaned toward him.

Tezuka increased his pace, politely shrugging off a woman with a tape recorder. Akutsu's back was turned to him, but Tezuka had a clear vision of Fuji's distressed face.

When he drew closer enough, he stopped, staying out of Akutsu's sight long enough to hear what was being said by the deputy.

"Leave me alone, Akutsu."

"Not until you tell me about last night." The deputy's voice was quietly vicious. "Where were you and Tezuka last night? I know you were together. Both of you look like something..."

Gaze defiant, Fuji said. "We got caught in the thunderstorm."

"Come on, honey. This is old Akutsu you're talking to." He leaned in and whisper. "What were the two of you doing up there all night? Things you wouldn't do with me?"

Tezuka had had enough. He grabbed Akutsu's shoulder. "I warned you, Akutsu. Back off."

The deputy shrugged his hands away. "What's the matter, Tezuka? Afraid I'll cut in on your action?"

Tezuka counted to three and then thought, screw it. The guy needs a pounding. He grabbed Akutsu's shirt and yanked him close. A slight twist and he's sure he'll cut off the man's air supply.

"Shut your filthy mouth," he murmured in the low, furious tone. "Not another word. Hear me?"

Akutsu's eyes bulged. He struggled helplessly.

Fuji put a hand on Tezuka's arm. "Tezuka, please. Don't make a scene. The search."

Fuji was right. This wasn't the time or the place. Shaking off the boiling fury, he released the deputy.

Face red and trembling with rage, Akutsu swiped at the spittle gathered at the corner of his mouth. His nostrils flared. "You're gonna pay for this, Tezuka. You and your little witch."

Then he spun away and stalked outside toward the news media gathered in the parking lot.

Tezka watched him go, dismay and dread in his gut.

"If he says one negative word to the media..."

"He's more interested in getting his picture on TV."

"I hope you're right, but I doubt it."

He(Tezuka) shouldn't have lost his cool. In Fact, Tezuka couldn't believe he'd snapped like that. He, a man renowned for cool under pressure, had snapped like a twig. This was not a good sign.

He glanced down at a distressed Fuji.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

He(Fuji) nodded, though his hands fisted at his side and his eyes were overbright. "forget about it, Tezuka. I can handle Akutsu."

It hit him(Tezuka) then. "This isn't the first time he's hassled you, is it?"

He(Fuji) looked away. "Akutsu's always been a jerk."

Tezuka's touched his(Fuji) shoulder. "Hey, talk to me."

Fuji shook away the command. "He's not worth it."

Gently, Tezuka turned him around. "If he ever bothers you again, I want to know about it."

His(Fuji) chin went up. "I can take care of myself."

He(Tezuka) wanted to kiss that stubborn mouth. "Not on my watch."

When his(Fuji) bulldog expression didn't falter, he(Tezuka) let his gaze slide around the room and back to him. Dark half moons formed inverted crescents beneath his(Fuji) eyes.

"You're tired. Go home."

"I want to find that plane."

"So do I." He(Tezuka) told him(Fuji) about the hybrid plane-chopper. "Until we hear from the air force or the chopper already up there, all we can do is wait. You might as well get some rest so you're fresh if we need you."

Weariness had settled into Fuji's bones like a bad flu. "Will you call me?"

"If a ground search becomes necessary."

"Fair enough." He gazed at the lines of fatigue around Tezuka's mouth, worrying. He(Tezuka) was very bit weary as he(Fuji) is. Immediately, he(Fuji) scoffed at the concern. He was a former Ranger. Rangers could go days without rest."

He called Hunter to heel and left the station. Two blocks down, he wheeled into some food station, ordered a to-go breakfast and took it back to the command post.

"Hey, Tezuka." He(Fuji) slapped the container onto a folding table. Tezuka, in quiet conversation with a man in insulated coveralls, looked up.

"Thought you're gone."

"I am." He pushed the box at him. "Eat."

Whipping around, he left again, but not before he saw the shocked grin on Tezuka's face.

~X-O-X~

hhmmmm, what do you think of this chapter?

I'll update again soon. Hopefully ;)

review please ^_^


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Fuji awakened hours later. Other than a dull headache, he felt a lot better. Though he didn't want to care, he couldn't help wondering about Tezuka. By now, he(Tezuka) must be dead on his feet. He(Fuji) wondered, too, if they'd found the plane or had any news at all.

After checking his messages, and finding none, he thought about calling, but changed his mind. Tezuka said he'd call if he was needed. And right now, he(Fuji) had work to do here.

Chase's exercises had been neglected so he started with him, carefully massaging the weak muscle and then putting trouper, Chase did everything Fuji ask him.

Afterward, he worked each of his student dogs through a training session, leaving Hunter to rest in case he was called upon to search. The descending temperatures served as a constant reminder of the downed plane, of people up there in the mountains helpless and frightened and probably hurt.

He understood their horror and wished that he and Hunter could do something. He wanted to find them.

Back in the house, he checked the messages again. Nothing. Itching to know what was happening he lifted the receiver and then put it down again. Tezuka said he would call.

The sun set. Fuji ate a bowl of soup, added a few pieces to a six-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle, and finally curled up in the chair to sew some blocks for a quilt he's making for himself.

His feet grew cold. As he wrapped them in a brightly flowered fleece blanket, his thoughts slid to last night in the cold cabin with Tezuka. He shouldn't have let Tezuka kiss him. But the memory of that moment lingered like the fragrance of roses.

Getting their relationship back on a cool, professional level was not going to be easy.

He thought about quitting his job. But one look to the poor dog curled beside him put an end to that kind of thinking.

He jabbed a needle into a pincushion and pushed the pile of cloth off his lap, getting up. Hunter raised his head, a question on his eyes. He(Fuji) had the same question. What was going on down at the command center? With night coming on, if the plane crash victims hadn't been found, the odds were against survival.

Tezuka should have called by now. He should have updated him. Lifting the telephone receiver, he punched Tezuka's number, ready to give him(Tezuka) a piece of his(Fuji) mind.

"Tezuka desu."He sounded so weary, he(Fuji) softened.

"How was the pancakes?"

"Delicious." He(Fuji) heard the smile on Tezuka's voice. "I was about to call you."

Right. "Has the plane been located?"

"Yes. Farther down the mountain. The great news is we have survivors."

"That's terrific,Tezuka. Congratulations."

"Don't congratulate me yet." The weariness again. "The sons were airlifted with some serious injuries. The pilot is missing."

"Oh no."

"By all indications, he decided to walk out for help."

"What's the plan? Should we try to go up tonight?"

"We've called off the search until morning, Fuji."

"I'll go now. tell me where and get me up there. My dogs work anytime, day or night."

"Not a chance. The dark is not the biggest issue and you know it. Right now, the area is covered in fog. Trust me, if I thought we could do this safety, we'd be up there."

Interesting that he(Tezuka) said we. But he(Fuji) knew Tezuka was right about the search effort. Daylight would be safer and more productive, but he(Fuji) didn't like the delay. A man was lost in the bitter night and his dog could find him.

Frustration made him short. "What time then?"

"Four. I want to be on the ground at daybreak."

Fuji blew out an annoyed sigh. "Fine."

The line hummed with silence. He(Fuji) should hung up. The conversation was over.

"Fuji?"

"Yes?"

A pause and then, "See you in the morning."

The simple phrase held a wealth of meaning in Fuji's trouble mind. Anticipation, not only for the search and rescue ahead but to see him again, coursed through his veins. He didn't want to feel the things Tezuka Kunimitsu was forcing him to feel.(_A: forcing? Are you sure of that Syu-chan? o.O)

He replaced the telephone receiver and went to the full-length mirror where he pushed his bangs away from his forehead, holding them back with one hand while he leaned in and traced the white scar with one finger. Here was the only reason he needed, the only reminder required.

A war raged in his mind. Tezuka Kunimitsu had been good and kind to him, but so had the murderer. Tezuka had kissed him, holding him as if he was fragile and special. But trust would get him hurt.

Hunter padded into the room and sat on his rump, watching him(Fuji). He dropped a hand to his perked ears. A heavy sadness settled into his chest.

He had his dogs. That's all he could ever have.

Tomorrow, he must face Tezuka Kunimitsu with a cold, set heart. Tomorrow he must not forget.

~X-O-X~

The helicopter ride was exhilarating, the scenery breathtaking, and yet the tension inside the noisy chopper was thicker than pea soup.

Tezuka didn't know what was going on inside Fuji's head but he(Fuji) was quiet and withdrawn this morning. He(Tezuka) could relate, in a way. He'd(Tezuka) slept a little last night thinking of the morning's chore. But something more was troubling Fuji. Sometimes he(Tezuka) wished he'd(Fuji) open up and talk to him, and the thought amused him. He, a man not given needless chatter, wanted this beautiful angel to tell him things.

During his hours of tossing and turning, trying to figure out the best way to save the lost pilot, Fuji had invaded his mind. He(Fuji) had secrets, something so painful he'd withdrawn from people. Any fool could figure that out. But Tezuka wanted to know what to do about it. The bigger question was why he cared in the first place.

Fuji got to him on some elemental level. He wouldn't go far as love, but he felt something for him.

Responsibility, maybe. Yeah, he felt responsible for him, protective as he had been in his Ranger unit. That was it. That had to be it.

The whump-whump of the helicopter grew louder as they descended onto the side of the mountain. Snow blew up in every direction clouding the view below, but Tezuka knew the drill. Last night's chopper pilot had made base at a remote ranch a thousand feet down from the crash site. They would start the search at the ranch and hike upward to the scene. Considering the rugged, almost impossible terrain, this plan was the best they could do.

By daylight the entire group of researchers had hiked to the crash site. A could sun broke over the mountain as four search and rescue teams and their animals started off in different directions, breaths puffing smoke signals into the atmosphere, each pair armed with a crackling radio and backpacks of needed supplies.

Tezuka fell in step beside Fuji and received a scowl for his efforts. "Forget it, Tezuka."

"You heard the briefing. Everyone works in pairs. The terrain is too dangerous to be alone."

"My dog and I are a pair." He(Fuji) tromped off without him(Tezuka), but he(Tezuka) kept pace. Snow spun around them like powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.

"The dogs doesn't count," Tezuka said, staying right in step.

Fuji whipped toward him, teeth gritted. "Then get me someone else."

Tezuka stepped back, speechless. Fuji didn't mind working in team, but he didn't want him. He(Tezuka) rubbed a hand down the silky front of his parka, over his heart. His(Fuji) rejection hurt more than it should have.

"Who peed in your porridge?"

Fuji's mouth twitched. Good. He was getting somewhere. "You have a way with words, Tezuka."

"Well?" he demanded. He(Fuji) had no reason to show his quills this morning unless..."Still made because I kissed you?"

Again, he(Fuji) stopped in trail, blue eyes snapping. "Please go back to base. _Now_."

Ah, so it was the kiss. The revelation actually made him(Tezuka) feel better. The fact that he(Fuji) was still upset about the kiss must mean he cared one way or the other. He wasn't sure why that encouraged him, but it did.

"You're stuck with me, Fuji. Deal with it."

Fuji emitted a huff. "Then shut up and move. We have a man to find."

He(Fuji) was right about that, but he(Tezuka) was also right about something else. He(Fuji) was his responsibility and he(Fuji) was not going this one alone, regardless of any sputtering he(Fuji) might do. Tezuka could handle his blustering. But another team member might not understand.

Right. As if he did.(_A: -_-")

One thing he(Tezuka) did know: Fuji's bark was far worse than his bite. Only a deeply caring person would be up here on this frigid, dangerous mountain trying to find a total stranger. Besides, he(Fuji) liked him(Tezuka) enough to buy him breakfast. He(Tezuka) smiled to himself. Yep. Fuji could bark all he wanted. But he(Tezuka) suspected the noise was only a smoke screen.

Fuji bent to unsnap Hunter's leash, standing quietly while the dog acclimated himself to the sights, sounds and smells. Hunter's coat shone like chopper penny in the sunlight as he wiggled in excitement for the search ahead. Fuji spoke a short, gentle command and the amazing creature darted off, nostrils popping as he searched the invisible scent particles.

The humans proceeded along behind him with much more care for the terrain. This high up the opportunities to fall into a crevice or off a snow-laden cliff rose exponentially. And avalanche was always a deadly possibility.

Tezuka lifted his binoculars, hoping to spot any flash of light or color against the backdrop of white snow and deep gray rock. Fuji occasionally paused to call out the pilot's name and blow a whistle. "Shishido-san!"

The pillows of snow absorbed the sound at once and no answering call came. After an hour or so, they took a short break. Fuji checked the dog's paws and carefully cleaned his snout, then fed him energy snack.

"I don't think the pilot came this way," Fuji said.

Tezuka handed him(Fuji) a granola bar. "Why not?"

He shrugged, peeling back the wrapper. "A gut feeling."

As a Ranger, he respected instinct. Many man had been saved by listening to that little inner voice.

"What do you suggest?"

"You're the main in charge. I'm working my sector as ordered." Watching him(Tezuka), he(Fuji) bit down on the end of the snack. He(Tezuka) swear he(Fuji) was teasing.

He grinned."Fuji Syusuke, you're something."

One dark eyebrow arched in agreement, he(Fuji) tilted his head. The hint of amusement danced behind those mysterious eyes. Tezuka fought a sharp, annoyingly inappropriate desire to grab him and kiss him then and there.

Being with Fuji was causing him to lose his edge, his focus. A man's life was in danger and yet, all he could think about was kissing the dog trainer. He(Fuji) was right. He(Tezuka) should paired him with someone else.

With the steely discipline of his training, he shut off all thoughts of the being beside him to radio the base and each of the dog teams to determine progress. With no news, he said to Fuji. "Let's go ahead and finish this sector so we can mark the area off the map."

"Okay." He unsnapped the dog again and spoke the command, sending Hunter back to work.

As time passed, Tezuka's face grew numb and even behind the glasses his eyes burned from the cold wind, but he ignored them, focusing instead on the unstable terrain. In another couple of months, some of the snow would be gone and searching would be easier, but accidents didn't wait for summer. If the plane's pilot was not cognitively impaired, a real concern, he would work his way downhill. If he was hurt, hypothermic or disoriented, he might travel in any direction.

Tezuka and Fuji descended a deep slope into a relatively flat saddle between two rock faces. Tezuka was about to suggest a rest break, when his radio crackled. The news was good.

"They found him,"he called Fuji, who was poking the snow with his snow poles to be sure the ground ahead was stable.

He turned and came back to where he stood. "Alive?"

"Yes." That one word brought a smile to Tezuka's face.

Fuji answered with one of his own.

"The chopper is taking the medical team to him now," he went on, the cold and fatigue suddenly forgotten. "We'll know more when they get there, but the team says the pilot is talking and asking about the boys."

"That's great. Really great." He(Fuji) touched Tezuka's arm and beamed him up.

And Tezuka, being the idiot he was, gathered him into a bear hug and lifted him high off the ground in jubilant celebration. "We did it Syu. We found him."

Fuji laughed down on him as happy as he was. For once, he(Fuji) didn't resist the closeness (and his new nickname) as they shared the moment of joyous relief.

Tezuka's relief was twofold. First and foremost for the pilot, but also for himself. If the pilot hadn't survived, to Tezuka's way of thinking, the responsibility would have rested on the shoulders of his department. And also the fact that Fuji didn't react when he called him by his new nickname.

After a minute, Fuji's smile faded. He thumped Tezuka's shoulder. "Put me down."

He didn't want to. He felt good in his arms. Slowly, he eased him down, but he(Fuji) slid against his body, he(Tezuka) was reminded once again of their night alone. A yearning rose inside him to be lone with him(Fuji) once again.

What was up with that?

When his(Fuji) feet were firmly on the ground, he(Tezuka) still didn't release him. Fuji stiffened and pushed at his chest. His jaw clenched. "Back off, Tezuka."

"Let's head back to base," he(Tezuka) said, but he might as well have saved his breath. Fuji called Hunter and started off with out his teammate, namely Tezuka Kunimitsu. But even with his frosty attitude toward him, Tezuka was a happy man. They had a survivor. But the time he and Fuji met up with the other rescue teams, the pilot would be on his way to the hospital and soon reunited with his loved ones.

The reality of how easily the situation could have gone the other way hit him in the heart. Suddenly, he wanted a good, long visit with his mom, his dad and his grandfather.

He was trudging along at a rapid pace, his mind on the value of family, when a deep cracking noise captured his attention. He frowned, taking a minute to comprehend the sound.

Suddenly, Hunter went crazy, spinning and barking in a restless pattern. Fuji, fifty yards ahead of him, whirled, his eyes widening. "TEZUKA!"

He opened his mouth to reply. Too late. Adrenaline slammed into his body with much force as the ground beneath him disappeared and he tumbled down, down into a black and frightening abyss.

~X-O-X~

So how was that?

Syu-chan does care after all ;)

lucky Tezuka!

review please... :)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Fuji watched in stunned disbelief as Tezuka disappeared before his eyes. And then he broke into a run, cursing the thick snow that grabbed at his feet, slowing him down.

Blood rushed in his ears, louder than the pounding oh his heart. He shouldn't have been so brusque. He should have been nicer to him. Tezuka was a good guy. The last good man on the planet.

"Please be okay. Please."

He skidded to a brief halt at the now-opened crevice. Hunter crept cautiously to the edge, whining softly. A good twenty-five feet below he spotted Tezuka's yellow jacket. He lay still, so still. Dear God, what if he lost him? Without another thought, he started down, skidding, sliding and pleading.

"Be alive. Be alive. Please, Tezuka. Be alive."

Halfway down, he reconsidered the wisdom of his impetuous decision. He should have prepared better before starting the descent.

Too late. He lost his balance on the last ten feet and went down, twisting his ankle. With a cry of pain he landed on top of Tezuka's solid body.

His eyes wre closed but his chest rose and fell. Thank God. He was alive, but very still. Above, in the blinding white, the dog barked his worry. "Stay, Hunter, stay," he called automatically, too concerned with Tezuka to deal with the dog. The barking ceased by a low, constant whine.

Heart slamming against his rib cage, he ripped off his gloves, cupped Tezuka's face in his hand and pleaded, "Wake up. Please, wake up."

He couldn't lose him now, not now when he had just begun to believe in the impossible.

Tezuka stirred. A murmur, unintelligible, issued from barely moving lips.

Relief coursed through him. Tezuka was conscious.

Fuji leaned closer, stroking his face. "Are you hurt? Talk to me Tezuka. Tell me what you need."

"A kiss," he whispered, so close to Fuji's lips. "Prince Charming awakens with a kiss from Sleeping Beauty."

Fuji jerked upright. "Tezuka Kunimitsu! I thought you were dead." he bopped his(Tezuka) chest for good measure and felt horrible for doing so. He was beside himself with worry and Tezuka was joking. The man was impossible. Adorably impossible. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't hit you. You maybe hurt. Oh, you scared me to death."

Tezuka's eyes popped open, the corners crinkling with humor. "I couldn't resist."

"Are you really okay?" he asked, aware now of what he hadn't notice before-Tezuka's body, rock hard and wonderfully powerful beneath against him. He was terribly tempted to fling himself against him, to kiss him all over and revel in his strength.

As if he'd read Fuji's mind, Tezuka's arms wrapped around him. He pulled him close. His(Fuji) pulse skittered to a halt and then set up a jackhammer rhythm.

"You zipped down that slope as if you care," he murmured, lips dangerously grazing Fuji's ear.

Fuji swallowed a lump of nerves and fought for sanity. "Of course I care. I don't want to be stranded with a dead body in the mountains."

His expression serious, he asked "Is that the only reason?"

A battle raged inside Fuji's mind. When he slide down towards him, he'd crossed a border into Tezuka's territory. He'd come over to his side, and every internal sentry he'd set up to protect his hard-won peace was screaming for a halt. Should he tell the truth or guard the fortress?

As always, his fortress won. "I can't imagine what other reason there could be."

And if his voice quivered, he blamed the breathless sound on the tumble.

Tezuka's gaze raked Fuji's face a long searching minute, as if he didn't believe him. He cupped the side of Fuji's face, pushed off his stocking cup that had skewed to one side, letting his hair tumble loose. He swept Fuji's hair with one gloved hand.

"You're not a very good liar," he murmured.

Confused, enticed, comforted, Fuji don't know what to do anymore.

"I don't know what you're talking abou-" Before he could finish, Tezuka laid his finger over Fui's lips.

"Sshhh.. For once just shut up and let me look at you."

Fuji's heart slammed to a halt inside his chest. This madness had to stop now. They were at bottom of a cliff, for goodness' sake, and his ankle throbbed painfully. Why would Tezuka or any man, for that matter, would look at someone like him? The possibilities were terrifying. He pushed Tezuka's hands aside and sat up. moving away from those tempting hands, he snatched up his discarded hat.

"We need to get out of here." If his tone was harsh, he(Tezuka)as to blame, but oh, how he long to be back to his arms.

Tezuka was quiet for a minute, the beat of silence uncomfortable. He was certain Tezuka could hear his heart pounding.

High above, Hunter stood on the ridge barking, frantic to discover his master at the bottom of a snowy pit.

Tezuka pushed to a stand, brushing the snow from his clothes. "The slope is steep but I think we can manage without calling in reinforcement."

Fuji looked upward toward the ridge. A mass of snow had covered the cliff's edge but now that Tezuka fallen through, the way was clear. Steep, but clear. Normally, he'd be up on the narrow ridge in a hurry, but now he wondered if he could make the climb. His ankle screamed bloody murder.

Using his snow poles for balance, he pulled himself upright. No use worrying Tezuka. If he told him, he would do something macho and endearing and chop away another piece of his heart.

Gingerly, he put his foot down, refusing to wince. Pain shot like lightning up his leg. His whole body stiffened from the stunning assault. He swallowed back a groan.

Tezuka whipped around, brown gaze homing in to Fuji's face, and then sweeping downward. "What's wrong with your leg?"

So much for keeping his injury for himself. "I twisted my ankle. Nothing serious. Let's go."

He was down on one knee so fast Fuji had no time to react. "Let's see."

"No." Leaning heavily on the poles, he pulled his foot back. "Let's go."

The stubborn mule didn't budge. He grabbed Fuji's booted foot and held fast. Using his teeth to remove his gloves, he ran his fingers beneath his(Fuji) pant leg and down the back of his calf. None of that hurt. Tezuka's hand felt good, actually. But when Tezuka rotated his foor over so gently, he sucked in an inadvertent breath.

"You're injured." his tone was full of reproach, whether for him or himself, he(Fuji) couldn't tell. "You should have told me."

"I'll survive. But we have to get up that slope."

Before Fuji could attempt another step, Tezuka grabbed his radio and called the base, letting them know the situation. When he ordered a chopper, Fuji groaned in humiliation. In more than ten years of working in the mountain wilderness, he had never requested anyone's help.

"I don't need a chopper," he hissed in Tezuka's ear.

He(Tezuka) brushed him away as if he were a housefly. "Executive decision. I'm in command."

"Well, commander, I won't ride in it." he pushed off with the snow poles, started up the incline and with a grunt pain promptly fell on his behind.

"You will," hands under his arms Tezuka easily stood him upright and held him there. "But we'll have to get ourselves out of this ravine and up on that ridge. Can you manage if I help?"

He hopped on one foot, gingerly touching down with the screaming ankle.

"Of course, I can," he said, not at all confident in his ability to walk, but confident in Tezuka. He didn't want to be, but he was.

"I'll go up first and find a place to secure the rope. Then I'll come back for you. Okay?"

He nodded, feeling stupid and helpless. Over the years, he'd been hurt a few times, but he'd managed on his own. Now, as he watched Tezuka pull himself up the side of the mountain, he had to face the truth. He couldn't do this alone.

By now, his ever faithful dog had gone into a frenzy. Barking like mad, he paced back and forth on the ridge, eager to come down, but obedient to the last command. If he were to die here, Hunter would die too, before abandoning him. A sting of unwelcome tears burned his eyes. Could a man also be that loving?

Before go had time to finish stewing, Tezuka descended the slope again, this time with a rope in one hand. Using the rope for balance and leverage, Tezuka slid an arm around his waist and helped him walk and hop his way to the top. Once out of the crevice, Tezuka swept him into his arms.

"Put me down."

Tezuka growled, showing his teeth, and kept trudging through the snow. Fighting took too much effort and his ankle hurt too badly, so Fuji gave up the protest, looped his arms around Tezuka's neck and laid his head on his shoulder. Jus for a moment, he let himself enjoy Tezuka's protection and care. To someone who couldn't ever remember being protected, the sensation felt strange, but good. Really, really good.

That's when he decided he must be hypothermic and therefore delirious. He snuggled his cold nose against Tezuka's warm neck, feeling the powerful punch of his pulse. And just for a moment, while he was delirious and couldn't help himself, Fuji wondered what it would like to be loved by Tezuka Kunimitsu. He snuggled closer and pretended he was someone else, someone beautiful and lovable, someone who could love in return.

By the time the chopper arrived, he and Tezuka were safely waiting on the ridge and Fuji had regained his common sense. Pain and bone-chilling temperatures were a lethal combination. No wonder he'd been delirious.

~X-O-X~

Tezuka paced the waiting room of the hospital's emergency room. Fuji had been furious about the helicopter coming to his rescue and had insisted he did not need a doctor. He'd finally agreed to make the trip to the hospital in Tezuka's SUV after the search and rescue teams departed and he'd finished the rounds and reporters. All the while Fuji sat in his office unable to escape, so when they're on their way to the hospital, he'd frozen him(Tezuka) with silence.

Fuji just didn't understand. He was responsible for his injury and a Ranger never shirked a duty.

And if he admit the truth, he saw Fuji as far more than a duty. That fact bothered and he didn't know what to do about it, considering Fuji's overall attitude towards him, but there was something about Fuji. At first, he'd been intrigued and had thought his aura of mystery had been the attraction. Then Fuji's sensuality, the sexiness against all odds, had started to get to him. And that's where he wanted his feeling to stop. But they didn't.

Admittedly, he wanted to peel back the mysterious layers of Fuji Syusuke and kiss him until he was out of his system. But something more nagged him like a toothache.

When he'd come tumbling down the side of the cliff as if he cared, all kinds of crazy thoughts had ricocheted around Tezka's brain. Fuji's fall had scared him, too. He'd suffered a moment of insanity in which he'd wanted to crush Fuji to him, roll him over the snow and kiss him until he'd begged for more-or punched him in the nose.

He smiled at that thought.

When Fuji landed on his chest, teasing him had been too good to resist, and for a minute he's relaxed in his arms, relieved to find him alive and well. He(Fuji) felt something too, and it was more than relief. He was sure of it. He had no idea where this thing between them was going, but after today he was determined to find out.

And now, here he was ready to take Fuji back to that empty cabin where not one soul waited to care for him.

The room swooshed open, belching out the scent of antiseptic and the sight of Fuji in a wheelchair, his ankle in some type of brace. Tezuka's gut twisted. He didn't like seeing him hurt.

A nurse rolled the chair toward him, smiling. The nurse might look happy, but the patient did not.

"Fuji?" he said, going to him. He took his hand and even when he stiffened, he held tight. "What's the verdict?"

"Nothing broken. I'm fine. Take me home."

A typical Fuji answer which told him nothing. Tezuka resisted an eye roll, looking instead of the smiley nurse for answers.

"Badly torn ligaments," she said, handing him a sheet of instructions. "He needs to stay off that foot for at least three weeks. RICE. Rest, ice, compression and elevation. No weight bearing. Then we'll reevaluate."

Tezuka knew the drill. He also knew that Fuji would not be an obedient patient. Mr. Independent had dogs to train. And he lived alone without anyone to make certain he followed doctor's orders.

Which was exactly why he had come to a conclusion; a conclusion that would undoubtedly set off world war III between them. But Tezuka Kunimtsu knew how to fight-and win. He had made up his mind and no amount of sputtering or porcupine quills would deter him. Fuji needed his help and he was going to get that.

He was about to take on a new cabinmate.

Him.

~X-O-X~

"You are not staying here."

Fuji thought he would faint. And not from the pain of his ankle. Tezuka Kunimitsu had some harebrained idea about moving into his cabin while he recuperated from the sprained ankle.

"I owe you," Tezuka said, his stubborn jaw clenched tighter than the brace around Fuji's foot. "If you don't come to my rescue, this wouldn't have happened."

Fuji stared at him as though he'd grown horns and a tail. "I don't want you here."

"Tough."

The moment they'd arrived at his house, he'd deposited him in the fat easy chair in his living room, propped his foot on three pillows stacked on a small table and then made his insane announcement while his(Fuji) body flushed hot and cold and his brain threatened to explode.

"I'll call the police," he warned, knowing he'd do no such thing. Tezuka carried him when he couldn't walk. And he liked him. A lot. That's why he couldn't stay. He couldn't risk it.

He couldn't bear having him underfoot day and nigh, to see him and talk to him and know he could never, ever have him.

There it was-the truth. He wanted Tezuka for longer than a few days or weeks.

Tezuka want deterred by his threat. "I'll have you arrested for stealing my gun."

Fuji opened his mouth and clapped it shut again. Tezuka knew about the gun. He should have known he would figure out his subterfuge, but he was surprised he didn't ask what he'd done with the weapon.

"Admit it for once Fuji," his tone gentle. He crouched down beside his chair and took his hand. He wanted to pull away but couldn't. "You can't take care of the animals or even yourself without help. You need me."

God help him. he did need him. Another reason why he couldn't stay. Need begat dependence which begat pain.

"People will talk."

"They already do," he shrugged, a half smile forming crinkles around his mouth. "and you don't care anyway. So get use to me. I'm here and there is not a thing you can do about it."

Fuji didn't know how to fight him, he hated the helpless feeling.

Tears pushed at the back of his eyelids and burned his nose. He will not cry. He will never cry. He hated Tezuka for making him feel things.

No, he didn't. He couldn't hate Tezuka. That was the problem.

He squeezed his eyes shut against the emotion and turned his head away.

Tezuka didn't move for several minutes. He could feel Tezuka watching him. He could hear his steady breathing. His heart beat in his throat, anxious, but with another, more frightening emotion, too. When he thought his chest would burst, Tezuka stood and, with a quiet rustle of denim, moved away.

"I'm going into town to get some things from my house and to check in at the office again. Do you need anything before I leave?"

He shook his head and refused to look at him. If he ignore him long enough, he would go away.

The door gently snicked shut. An engine revved up. Fuji opened his eyes. The room looked empty, bereft even, without him(Tezuka).

"Oh, Chase," he whispered to the dog who had slumped in his side. "I think we're in big trouble."

~X-O-X~

there you go :)

review please ...


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The first night in the cabin with the stubborn as granite Tezuka Kunimitsu, Fuji laid awake in his tiny bedroom too stressed to sleep. Tezuka had collapsed, exhausted, on the living room floor in his sleeping bag and didn't wiggle until the alarm chimed at five in the morning. Chase and Hunter, the traitors, had joined him. Until the wee hours of the morning, he'd listened to them breathe and wondered how he would survive the days to come.

When Tezuka left for the office, Fuji pretended to be asleep and then, enticed by the kitchen smells slid out of bed, using crutches to hop into the living room.

The note on the microwave made him laugh. The bold scrawl demanded:

_Get off the foot now! Take the pancakes with you. _

_Coffee is ready, too. I'll be back soon._

_ You won't know when to expect me, so don't try to cheat_.

_ Stay off the foot!_

_**Tezuka**_

Tezuka reappeared at noon with hamburger and French fries and a book, which he'd tossed on the table next to Fuji's chair.

"I have no idea what you like to read. The court clerk next to my office suggested this."

Fuji glanced at the title and suppressed a groan. A romance novel. As if his imagination wasn't already swimming with ideas. When Tezuka was gone, he wanted him to come back. When he was there, he wanted him gone.

That night, as he leaned over the bathtub, trying to figure out how to get in and get out on one foot, Tezuka appeared at the bathroom door. "Got a problem?"

He blushed, face as red as tomato. "I thought you were outside?"

"Just came in."

"The dogs?" he held to the side of the tub, painfully aware of how small the room had become with Tezuka in it.

"Dogs are okay. I took them for a run."

He pretended a pout. "I'm jealous."

"Don't be. They know I'm not you and are really disappointed."

"How'd you know?"

"They said so. The border collie told me to take a hike. _Alone_."

Tezuka's silliness cheered him. Tezuka knew he's worried about not being able to maintain the dog's training regimen. "They love anyone with the feed bucket."

"Not true Ice didn't even lick me." Ice had the most generous tongue in the canine history. Tezuka stepped closer, his eyebrows drawing together in a tiny, appealing frown. "Let's get you back to the chair."

He shrank away. "I want to take a bath, but . . ."

Tezuka sized up the situation in two seconds flat. His frown disappeared. "Not a problem. I'll put you in the bathtub."

Fuji shook his head. Was he crazy? "Um, I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Think about it, Tezuka. You're a smart guy. I have to be _naked_ to take a bath."

A slow smile worked it's way in Tezuka's face. He waggled his eyebrows. "I knew that."

A couple of months ago, he would have been scared, now he fought a ridiculous buzz of energy. "Please go away. I'll figure this out on my own, thank you."

He hooped a couple of times to keep his balance. One of the dogs ambled past the bathroom door and came inside as if to check things out. He sniffed at Tezuka's pant leg.

"I have an idea." Tezuka said.

Fuji pointed at him. "No."

Tezuka laughed and grabbed his finger. "I'll wait outside while you undress and put on your robe. Then I'll lift you into the empty tub and leave again. You can take it from there."

"Oh."

"Good idea, huh?"

"Yes." Fuji conceded.

He stood there.

"Uh, are you leaving or what?"

"Oh, yeah." He started backing out of the narrow room. "I was hoping you'd forget."

"Ha-ha. Go away."

The idea worked brilliantly. After undressing, he donned the robe, tying and retying the cloth belt before calling Tezuka's name.

The fact that the door opened with uncanny speed was not lost on Fuji. Tezuka had been standing right outside.

With military precision that should have terrified him, he marched in and swung him over the tub's edge. But the muscles in his arms flexed and bunched in the most inviting manner, he was loath to let go.

Carefully lowering him to a one-footed stand on the bottom of the tub, he ordered, "Grab the wall for balance."

What he really wanted was to grab him for balance.

"Yes, sir." He braced a hand against the wall. "I'm good."

He studied him just long enough to make him blush and then, marched out. The door snapped shut, unlocked.

Good grief. He was alone in the house with an Army Ranger, naked, one-legged, the door unlocked, and he wasn't on the verge of panic! The old memory tried to push to the forefront, but a new memory gained control. And all during the bath, as water sluiced over his sensitized flesh, he remembered the tender strength of Tezuka's hand on his body with only the thin robe and sash between them.

~X-O-X~

Tezuka stretched his long legs inside the sleeping bag as he settled in the darkened living room for another night on Fuji's floor. He didn't mind. He'd slept in far worse circumstances.

Soft toenails tapped on the wood flooring. From the careful steps, he recognized Chase who slumped down beside him with an _hoomph_ and a sigh. Somewhere along the line the dog had bonded to him, and though Fuji was clearly Chase's master and best friend, Tezuka had grown fond of the animal.

He'd grown fond of the animal's owner, too. That first night when he'd carried him from the bathtub, he'd smelled like heaven and looked adorably sexy in his cacti printed pajamas. Warm and soft from the heat of the bath, his face and neck had flushed the color of summer roses. He'd looked incredibly young and his chest had swelled with an overpowering need to protect and take care of him.

He figured the emotion was a good sign. He was, after all responsible for what happened to his foot.

Somehow though, when he held Fuji in his arms, he had trouble thinking of him as duty.

The truth was he liked being here with him. For all his sputtering, he could be sweet and funny and warm. He was smart, too, giving him ideas for improving the development that he would not have considered otherwise. He took his mind off the department troubles, too. After the plane crash, someone had leaked a couple of negative stories to the press. He suspected the culprit but had no evidence.

Time spent with Fuji each evening both cheered and challenged him. He had feelings for him. Deeper than he ever thought possible. Now he was determined to discover what mysteries lay beneath the fascinating surface of Fuji Syusuke. All he needed was a little encouragement from the right source. And he intended to be that source.

~X-O-X~

By midweek, Fuji was on the verge of combustion. Tezuka had invaded his space and he was growing dependent upon him, both physically and emotionally. Everyday he did something that endeared him more. He'd never expected to long for company the way he did for Tezuka's. What was he going to do when Tezuka needs to leave for good?

Balancing on crutches, he hobbled to the mirror to comb his hair. As always, it flopped in shaggy disarray around his face. Hopeless. He would never be the kind a person that someone would be attracted to. Even if he wanted to be.

The picture on the dresser smiled at him. A happy military family. Mother, father, Yumiko, Yuuta and Syusuke. He missed his family. He missed teasing Yuuta. He missed Yumiko's tarot reading. And Mom's gentle hugs and kisses.

Then there was Dad. He'd loved him so much. He'd been his hero. He turned his face away and refuse to look at the tall, dark soldier. Daddies were supposed to take care of their families. He should have protected them.

The bullets had killed everyone but him. He still didn't understand why he'd survived the brain surgery, the coma and months of rehabilitation while the others had died at the scene.

He resisted the urge to touch the scar. Instead, he swung his crutches toward the kitchen to put on a pot of stew. His ankle throbbed and started to swell again. Tezuka would scold.

His mood lifted at the thought of big, tough Tezuka wagging his finger in his face and scolding him like a second grade teacher. He smiled a little.

Hours later, Tezuka arrived bearing a laptop and a load of paperwork. Sure enough he scolded.

"You've been up too much." He stood at the end of his chair, hands on the hips, staring down at his propped foot. It was puffy and bruised.

Fuji glanced up from his latest romance novel. He was starting to like these things. "Nag."

"Hardhead," Tezuka said, but the reply lacked energy. He looked beat.

Fuji was glad he'd prepared dinner.

"You work to hard," he said, and then blushed. He sounded like a fretting wife.

Waving off the suggestion he went to the table and flipped open the laptop. "Reports, grants, job descriptions, emergency plans, talk to civic groups and schools. The paperwork never ends."

"You can't be sleeping well on my floor. Really, Tezuka. I'm okay. Why don't you go home?"

He poked a key on the computer and didn't look up. "I'm needed here. You're my responsibility."

Is that what he was? "I don' want to be."

With a terrible certainty, Fuji knew he wanted to be something but not responsibility.

"Tough."

He gave up the argument. "Any news on the plane crash victims?"

The computer played a tune. Tezuka tilted the screen away. "Doing fine. The newspapers are all over it. Apparently, the dad is running for some state office."

"I'm glad they're okay. How are things otherwise?"

"The same old stuff. Akutsu's still making waves. He thinks I'm not handling the job."

"That's ridiculous. You're the best thing happen to this area in years. Without your leadership the pilot and his sons would be dead."

"Why thank you, Fuji. I think that was a compliment."

He blushed, but his face glowed with sincerity that touched Tezuka. He didn't tell him the rest. That someone had started a rumor about the two of them, claiming Tezuka was shirking because of him. Well, he wasn't. He worked darned hard to keep up with everything, including his responsibility to this perfect being beside him.

Screw Akutsu Jin and his dirty, jealous mind. Squinting at the laptop, he squeezed his temples between thumb and forefingers.

"Headache?" Fuji asked quietly. At some point, he'd gotten up from his chair and come to stand beside him. He'd make him sit down in a minute but right now, his nearness cheered him(Tezuka).

"Starting." He rotated his shoulders. "Tension."

Fuji hobbled to the bathroom, returning with two pain relievers. "These will help."

The sweet gesture squeezed him right in the center of his chest. It occurred to him then that at some point Fuji had gone from wanting to tear his head off to this. A wall had come down. He was letting him see the real person behind the porcupine quills.

And he liked him even more.

If he hadn't already been through the love wringer once before and come out smashed and broken... Well, he had. So that was that.

"You need to get off your foot," he said, more to stop his own thinking than anything. Fuji ignored him.

Instead, Fuji waited for him to down the pills, then maneuvered around behind the chair and did something completely out of character. He began massaging Tezuka's shoulders, tentative at first, and then when he didn't protest, more vigorously.

He leaned in, his body braced against Tezuka's. The scent of him, clean as soap but way more appealing, battled with the warmth of beef stew bubbling on the stove.

The combination of the scent and touch and relief was sensory overload for Tezuka. He thought he'd die from pleasure.

His head lolled. "That feels amazing."

He kneaded the knot twisted inside his trapezoid muscles. "You're tight as a fiddle string."

Oh, yeah. He was tight in any number of places, the band around his heart being the worst.

~X-O-X~

"Try this one." Tezuka pushed a green-and-blue jigsaw puzzle piece toward Fuji's side of the coffee table.

He still couldn't believe he'd massaged his shoulders, but he'd looked so miserable he'd thought nothing of the simple, comforting action. Then, as he'd stroked his back of the neck where his hair grew in a fascinating swirl, his mind had gone crazy again. He'd wanted an excuse to be in his arms. Which really was insane. He'd told him he was nothing but responsibility. And that's the way he wanted things to be. They were nothing to each other. Nothing.

Then why is he still here? And why did he love the sound of his voice? Why did he notice the way he stirred his coffee and the way his shirt stretched across his shoulders?

He frowned, trying to concentrate on the puzzle. "There are too many greens and blues."

"What did you expect from a four-thousand-piece picture of a Hawaiian rain forest?"

"Too true." he took the piece and turned in several different directions before laying it aside again. "Won't fit, but thanks anyway."

Tezuka had taken up residence on the small couch next to his chair. He felt him there, too close, even when he wasn't helping with the puzzle. He was supposed to be doing paperwork, but few minutes ago, he'd shut the laptop.

"How's your headache?" he asked.

He rotated his shoulders. "Better, thanks to you. Tension's a killer."

An understatement if ever he(Fuji) heard one. The tension between them was killing him.

"Did you finish your work?"

"The stack never ends. I still need to enter all the data that we collected. Maybe tomorrow night."

"Couldn't I do that for you?"

"He shrugged him off. "I'll get to it eventually."

"Oh, well, if you'd rather."

"Do you want to?"

With a sigh, he plunked down his puzzle piece and admitted, "I need to be working."

"You need to heal up."

"You're not hearing me. I need to work. I need the money." There, he'd admitted it. "Chase's surgery cost more than I could afford. And since we aren't able to work in the field, I thought maybe-" he shrugged, letting the thought die, embarrassed to have him know his financial woes.

Before he realized what he was up to, Tezuka smoothed his hair away from his face. "You're on paid leave."

He tensed, afraid he'd see the scar and ask questions. "How can I be? I didn't even work for the department long enough to accumulate leave."

"Injured on the job." A nerve over his cheekbone twitched. What was he saying?

"I'd feel a lot better about this if you'd let me help with the paperwork. I like to stay busy, Tezuka. Sitting around here with my leg in the air is driving me crazy." _And so are you._

"Well, in that case, be my guest. I'm sick of the computer."

"You'll have to show me how." His breah caught at the idea of huddling close to the computer with Tezuka.

"Sure. It's easy. I'll show you and then you can enter the data anytime you're bored."

"Which is pretty much every second except when I'm rehabbing Chase's knees."

Chase, who was stretched in front of the coffee table , raised his head in question.

"He seems to be coming along pretty well." Tezuka reached round him to snap a puzzle piece into place. While Fuji's thoughts had been on him, Tezuka had been studying the puzzle. Annoying man.

The newly formed section looked a lot like a tree limb.

"He's doing better than I am." He wiggled his foot for emphasis.

"I find that shade of nay blue rather fetching," Tezuka said, reaching to tweak Fuji's toe. "Did anyone mention you have pretty feet?"

He curled his toes inward to hide them. "Don't be silly."

"I'm serious. Pretty feet, great legs, gorgeous face."

The complement floored him. Tezuka thought he was pretty?

~X-O-X~

Even an hour later, Tezuka couldn't get past Fuji's reaction to a simple complement.

He was in the dog kennel, giving each of the animals a little TLC. Darkness had fallen like a rock and the night air was still and bracing. He latched the pen and started toward the house, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

His little dog trainer had no idea how exotically lovely he was.

_His_. He'd thought of him as his. Considering last night's conversation, he better rethink. The independent being would hate him if he discovered that he was the one paying for his salary. He'd be insulted and angry and send him packing and probably wont talk to him after that. But he refused to stop. Fuji needed the money. He needed Fuji's help.

And Fuji needed to understand how special he was.

He made a detour to his truck and another to the storage building. Then went inside the house.

"Bundle up," he said, tossing the blue ski suit into Fuji's lap. "We're going outside."

If he'd known his face would light up this way, he'd have taken him outside every night.

While Fuji struggled into warm outwear, Tezuka roamed in and out of the house, setting things up to ensure Fuji's comfort.

When he swept him in his arms for the journey outside, he asked, "What are we doing?"

"A surprise."

"What kind of surprise?"

He snapped off the light, kicked the back of the door closed and carried him out into the pich-black darkness. "Trust me. You'll like it."

"Hmmm. Mysterious." For once, Fuji didn't argue or insist he put him down. When he lowered him to the water-proof blanket he'd placed on the ground, Tezuka was reluctant to let him go.

Fuji loved the outdoors as much as he and the complete darkness of the mountains didn't bother him at all. In fact, he relished it.

"Snuggle up." Keeping things light, Tezuka covered them both with a fluffy thermal blanket. "And look up."

Fuji lay back and stared up the inky, star-spangled sky. "This is beautiful."

"Just wait, it'll get better." He grinned to himself, glad his job required a close monitoring of weather and atmosphere.

The night air was clear and cold and as crisp as a potato chip. He puffed a ring of smoke vapor and pointed, "There's the Bid Deeper."

"And Orion's Belt." Fuji's arm came up to rest along side his. Instinctively, Tezuka scooted closer, leaning his head next to Fuji's so that they were both gazing in the same direction. He wanted to absorb every nuance of his reaction once the meteor shower begin. He hoped he'll love it as much as he thought he would.

He didn't disappoint him. With the first streak of light across the sky, he gasped. "Tezuka, look. A shooting star."

His lips curved into a smile.

"Oh. Another one." Fuji grabbed Tezuka's arm and squeezed it, gaze never leaving the sky. "Tezuka, look at that. OH, my goodness. Another one. It's a meteor shower."

The grin inside his chest spread, warmer than a June day. Fuji was like a kid in the toy store, all agog over nature's wonder. He turned his head, more interested in watching him than watching the heavenly light display. His face went through a gamut of emotions-excitement, wonder,delight.

Emotion squeezed the breath from him as he studied the curve of his cheekbone, watched his exotic eyes widen, listened to his sweet cries of pleasure.

Fuji suddenly raised up on his elbow. Without warning, he kissed Tezuka's cheek.

"Thank you," he murmured, breath warm against his skin. "This was the best night of my life."

The simple admission crumbled him.

Someone like Fuji was a rare gift. Give him diamonds in the sky and he was happy.

Unable to resist, he pulled him into his arms, throbbing with the desire to shower him with far more than falling stars. But he was fragile, sometimes afraid, and his fear both angered and destroyed him(Tezuka). What happened to his special being? Who had crushed his tender spirit and left him afraid and alone?

He wanted to heal his hurt and erase his fear. He wanted to kiss him and hold him and love him. And he couldn't understand why he didn't go ahead and do it.

The realization struck him hard like an asteroid. He was afraid to kiss him again, because if he did, he might discover that he was helplessly in love with Fuji Syusuke.

~X-O-X~

there it's done... and as promised, on chapter 13, we will all know what happened to Fuji's past...

I'm sad cause this fic will end soon... :(

hope you enjoyed reading this chapter...


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Syusuke."

Fuji rested his head on Tezuka's chest. His words skimmed the top of his hair with breathy warmth.

Hoping for a few more falling stars, they remained beneath the cozy blanket staring up at the Milky Way. Relaxed and mellowed by the pleasure of the event, Fuji was deeply moved that Tezuka had somehow known how much a night beneath the falling star would mean to him.

"Hmm?" he said, lazily.

A beat of time passed, and then, Tezuka asked, "Who broke your heart?"

Fuji's blood chilled. "W-what?"

One of Tezuka's string fingers played in his hair, twirling aimlessly, a calm counterpoint to the intense question. "Who made you afraid? What happened to drive you up here all by yourself?"

Tightness constricted his breathing. In the years since he'd left Chiba and moved here, in his grandparents' cabin, he'd never told anyone.

"I don't know what you mean."

Tezuka's chest rose and fell in a sad, gusty sigh. "Can't you just this once trust me with the truth?"

"I don't know." The words were a worried whisper.

"You can trust me with anything, Love. I'm not going to hurt you."

For some reason, Fuji believed him.

As hard as he'd fought against the feelings, he'd fallen in love with Tezuka Kunimitsu. He had been good to him even when he'd behaved like a witch to drive him away. He'd stroked his battered ego, nurtured his wounded soul, teased and touched and talked until he'd fallen in love with him.

Would he dare let down his wall of defense and trust him with the worst?

"Why?" he asked, stalling.

He stirred slightly and he felt his confusion. "Why what? I don't understand."

"Why would I trust you?"

"Because I-" Again, that hesitancy. Another sigh. And then, "Because I'm a man of my words. I take responsibility very seriously."

His hope faltered. He was in love with him, and he considered him a responsibility. So be it. Responsibility was actually better than love. Love hurt too much.

"I know you do."

"Then tell me what's wrong. I want to help."

"No one can help, Tezuka. What's done is done. All the compassionate thoughts in the world can't bring back my family ." He sat up, pulling away from his warmth to hug his knees.

"I thought this might have something to do with your family." When he didn't responed, he sat up, too, moving close to his side. He bumped his shoulder with his. "You never talked about them. What happened?"

Anxiety rattled inside him like rocks in a thin can. "Maybe we shouldn't have this conversation."

He started to get up, ignoring his aching ankle. Tezuka stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Don't run from me, Syusuke."

Run. Retreat. Escape. He'd been running for years and he was soul weary.

Fuji relaxed again. Why not tell him? What possible harm could come of it?

"My family is dead," he simply said. "All of them at once."

"An accident?"

He made an angry huffing sound.

"Murder is never an accident." The harsh word shimmied on the air, almost visible in its stark ugliness. "I was supposed to die with them. But, I did die, in a way. Nothing was ever the same again after that night."

Tezuka stirred, agonized by the haunted quality in his voice, but he knew when to keep his mouth shut and listen. Anything he said now could stop the flow of the words.

"We were all asleep when the murderer came in," he said softly, speaking into the shielding darkness, his profile a pale specter in the starlight. "A popping noise woke me up. I was so scared but I didn't know why. Instinct, I guess. I knew something bad was happening. I heard another pop. And then foot steps. My bedroom door opened. And he came in. I could barely see him in the dark. He was a shadow, a nightmare. I was so scared I slid down in the bed, hoping he'd go away. I knew something was terribly, terribly wrong."

Fuji shuddered and put his forehead on his upraised knees. His breath came hard and fast as though he'd run up a mountain.

Tezuka couldn't stand it. He touched his hair. "Syu..."

"A gun feels so cold and hard against my temple." His voice went somewhere far away as if he (Tezuka) didn't exist and he was talking to himself. "I never heard the explosion. But I saw it somehow, behind my eyelids. A blast of radiating light and then darkness. After that I didn't know anything for a very long time. He killed us all. Mama, Yumiko-nee-san, Yuuta, me and himself."

Tezuka squeezed his eyes shut against his raw and naked pain. "Who, Love? Who did this to your family?"

"A soldier. A brave, brave hero. A good man who lost his mind. Everyone said so."

No wonder he'd reacted so strongly to his military background.

"Did you know him?"

He heard him gulp back a sob and ached to take him in his arms. But right now, Fuji held himself rigid and alone and he feared he'd break like fragile crystal if he touched him. He almost wished he hadn't asked. When he finally answered, he understand his sense of betrayal.

"Oh, yes. I know him like the back of my hand. I know him very much. H-he was my father." A powerful shudder convulsed his slim shoulders. "My own daddy. He killed us all. Even himself. They called it post-traumatic stress. Said he didn't know what he was doing. But we were all dead just the same."

And then he broke. Like an injured child, he began to weep.

The horror of what Fuji'd been through overwhelmed Tezuka. He'd been in battle, he'd seen horrors, but not like this. Not this kind of betrayal by someone who was supposed to love him. Now he understood the wall of protection he had erected around himself.

"Let me hold you, Syusuke. Please. I'm here. I'll be here for you."

Those must have been the words he needed to hear. He turned and let him draw him into a warm, tender circle of his protection.

He cried for a very long time, until Tezuka thought his heart would rip right out of his chest. He know about PTSD and the troubling, sometimes tragic result. All the knowledge in the world didn't make Fuji's sorrow any less painful to witness.

"Shhh. Love. Shhh. Don't cry. You're killing me. I can't stand to hear you cry." He rocked him back and forth, soothing, murmuring, making promises to take care if him. "No one will ever hurt you again. Not as long as I have breath."

The temperature had fallen and he was shivering, both from cold and emotion. He slowly laid him back against the blanket, tucking in beneath his chin. He kissed his forehead as he would a child. He lifted his arms and reached for him. He didn't resist. He slid his arms beneath the cover and stretched above him, kissing his tears away.

He'd meant only to comfort him but after a long time when his tears had ceased, he continued to kiss his eyelids, his cheeks, his forehead. His body quivered to erase all his heartaches and give him only good memories.

He moved to kiss his chin. He turned his head over so lightly. "Tezuka-"

"Kunimitsu."

"K-Kunimitsu. Kiss me. For real."

His heart slam-dunked against his rib cage.

"Whatever my princess wants," he whispered as their lips met.

The kiss began with the tender throb of emotion. He didn't want to scare him or hurt him. But when his lips parted to take him in, Tezuka deepened the kiss, letting him know how much he affected him and how much he wanted him. Fireworks went behind his eyelids. The fever in his blood grew more insistent.

"Let's go inside," he murmured.

He shook his head, tugging his face back down for another mind-numbing kiss. "No. Please."

If they don't do go now, they might be out all night because he was fast losing his usual rigid self-control.

"You're cold."

When he didn't deny it, he rose, lifting him with him and carried him into the bedroom.

~X-O-X~

The side of the bed dipped with Tezuka's weight as he placed Fuji on the bed and followed him down.

Fuji gulped back the wave of anxiety. He wanted this. He wanted Tezuka Kunimitsu. But he wanted far more than a one-night stand brought about through sympathy.

This could go no further. He had to stop this.

Tezuka kissed him again, and he almost changed his mind. Tezuka Kunimitsu's mouth on his was like the man himself-manly and hard, but tender and in control.

He'd promised to keep him safe. He would never hurt him.

He was so tired of feeling afraid.

But right now, his emotions where everywhere, scattered and overwrought. A decision to be with Tezuka had greater ramification than he was able to deal with tonight. He couldn't let this happen, no matter how much he love this fine man.

"Kunimitsu,"he murmured, a hand to his lips so he couldn't kiss him again.

Tezuka pushed his hand aside and kissed him anyway.

"Kunimitsu, stop."

From his instant reaction, he'd said the magic word. He froze, suspended above him, brown eyes melting him with their intensity. "I want you. All of you."

His pulse bumped. "I know. But I can't. Not now. Not like this. I'm too scattered, too drained." He touched his tense jaw. "I'm sorry. Please don't be angry."

He wanted the first time with Tezuka (_AN: ahem, his VERY FIRST TIME...**EVER**) to be beautiful and special, not an exhausted, confused coupling. And certainly not on the night he'd discussed the murders. Murder and love, as he well knew, did not go together.

Tezuka groaned and pressed his forehead against his. "I'm not angry, Love. Frustrated maybe. But not angry."

His sigh was filled with relief and more than a little regret as Tezuka rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up. He placed a hand on his muscled back.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Thank you for not pushing me."

"I told you," he rubbed his face hard with both hands. "You can trust me. I'd die before I'd hurt you."

And though caution born of trauma warned him to be careful, he believed in his words.

After a quiet moment, his beloved stood and went to the door. He ached to call him back for a good-night kiss, but anything more would be unfair for him.

"Tezuka."

He turned, a tall shadow in the doorway. But this shadow emanated compassion and kindness, not murder. And he was not afraid.

"Thank you for tonight. For everything."

He smiled, and then closed the door.

And he loved him more for understanding.

~X-O-X~

Long after the house quieted, Fuji remained awake, staring up at the play of faint moonlight on his ceiling. Over and over, the video in his head replayed the evening with Tezuka Kunimitsu. He had given him the magical star-gazing as a gift he would always cherish. With that one simple gesture, he'd made him happy. He'd even fed him marshmallows and hot chocolate when the night had grown long and cold.

When he'd listened with compassion to his story, the revelation had somehow taken the edge off his shame and sorrow. Enough that he'd begun to believe in the impossible. In this one magical evening, his dead heart had come to life. Perhaps he should have given himself to Tezuka. He'd given him so much tonight and he'd given nothing in return.

He glanced at the illuminated clock at his bedside. Morning would arrive soon. Tezuka would get very little sleep again tonight.

He heard him stir. Was he still awake?

Pushing back the thick comforter, he painstakingly limped into the living room. Tezuka had pulled the chair close to the furnace and propped his feet on the ottoman.

In sleep, the lines around his mouth relaxed, but he saw his fatigue. He worked so hard and now he'd kept him up half the night again.

He'd sacrificed a great deal to stay here with him. Why had he done that? Did his feelings for him extend beyond responsibility?

He stood beside the chair, staring down into his face. He hadn't believed it was possible for him to love anyone again. And yet, here he stood, loving Tezuka Kunimitsu and wishing for him to love him in return. His eyelids fluttered and he thought he might wake. Instead he moaned, caught in a dream. He watched his rugged features contort and wondered what he dreamed. His head tossed to one side.

"No," he mumbled. "Get back. Get back."

He trashed. His fists tightened at his sides as the dream deepened, taking him to some terrible place. He'd been in combat. He must have seen far more frightening things than he had. And he'd seen him share of blood and death.

He called out again and Fuji's chest pinched with sadness. He didn't want him to suffer. Not ever. Not even in sleep.

"Kunimitsu." He touched his shoulders.

His eyes flew open, wild and unseeing. Reflexively, Fuji shrank back.

"Kunimitsu," he said, again. "Wake up."

In the next instant his body slammed against the wall, Tezuka's powerful hand shoved high and tight in his throat.

Fuji stared down in shock. And then in terror.

The fearsome warrior towered above him like a madman, ready to kill.

Fuji screamed...and shattered into a thousand pieces.

~X-O-X~

Tezuka was yanked out of one nightmare and catapulted into another. He'd been fighting a soldier to keep him from hurting Fuji. Fuji was screaming. He had to save him.

He came wide-awake.

_Oh, no._

"Syusuke." He jerked his hand away from his soft throat, slapping the light switch at the same time.

Fuji crumpled like burning paper. He caught him before he hit the floor.

What had he done?

"Syusuke, Love." he fell to his knees with him in his arms.

Fuji fought him. "Get away from me."

What could he do? He released him. Fuji scrambled to the other side of the room and stood glaring at him, chest heaving. How would he make up on this? "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"You promised, Tezuka. You promised," he sobbed.

He had. "I was dreaming. I didn't know. I was dreaming about you-"

He didn't let him finish. He chopped the air with one arm.

"No. Get away from me." Shaking convulsively, he wound both arms protectively around his body. "Leave me alone."

Hands outstretched, he took two steps towards him. "Not until you listen to me."

"I want you gone. Out of my house." He jabbed a trembling finger towards the door. "_Now_."

Tezuka dropped back, stung by his vehemence.

"I wont leave you like this." He went to the sink and ran a glass of water. "Sit down. Calm down."

He only stood there, glaring as though he was his family's murderer.

Tezuka tossed back the glass of water, washing down some of his bitter regret, then ran another glass, placing in on the table. "Sit."

Though he was dying to comfort him, he pulled out a chair and sat down to wait. He would go, but not until he knew he would be all right.

After a long painful silence while both dogs moved around the room in curious unrest, Fuji's stance changed. His shoulders relaxed and he uncrossed his arms.

"Please talk to me," he said, his heart breaking.

"This is never going to work." Very slowly, he crossed the room and pulled out a chair. Tezuka considered this progress.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. Do you believe that?"

He thought about it for too long. When he nodded, he knew he was lying. What was the use? He would never trust him enough. No matter how hard he tried or how much he cared.

"You're right. I should go."

Uncertainty skittered over Fuji's face. And for a moment, he hoped. And then Fuji nodded.

Chest burning with fire of regret, Tezuka wanted to say so many things, but Fuji didn't want to hear them.

Leaving him sitting at the table in self-imposed exile, he went to gather his belongings. He had his sleeping bag rolled and tied when his cell phone broke the painful silence.

Standing rigid and empty, he flipped the device open and barked into the mouthpiece.

His gut tightened another notch.

As if his night couldn't get any worse, they had a call out. Sometime in the night, a child had wondered away from an RV camp and disappeared.

~X-O-X~

I hope this chappy's good enough for you guys :)

Thanks ... have a nice day !


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

He'd told him not to came.

Tezuka looked up from the circle of rescue teams he was briefing as Fuji limped into the fire station, face pale, grim and determined-no crutches in sight.

Stubborn Fuji Syusuke didn't listen. He had to admire his grit and his compassion, though. His ankle was not completely healed, and yet, even after the ugly scene between the two of them, he was here for te lost child.

His heart lurched, but he tamped back the rush of emotion. He'd tossed him out and he was done. Finished. he'd finally learned his lesson this time. He was darn tired of trying to prove himself to him and the governor and this town.

He scraped a hand over his face. Truth was, he was just plain tired, but he had a mission and mission came first. Before his emotion. Before his fatigue.

When the briefing was completed, Tezuka hooked a pen onto his pocket and stormed across the room to Fuji. The sooner he was gone, the better. He didn't have time to focus on personal issues today and if he was around, he'd be thinking about him.

"You can't search on that ankle."

His chin hitched. "I'm fine."

"Right." He leaned into Fuji's face. "Didn't I have to carry you to bed last night?"

Fuji jerked back, insulted. Tezuka was angry and feeling mean. He shouldn't have said that.

"I'm going to search," he snapped, eyes narrowed. "Deal with it."

Several groups of vehicle and foot searchers were preparing to leave. A full unit of dog handlers would arrive within the hour, but Fuji and Hunter were here now. Even solo, they were the best he'd ever seen. He didn't want him out there on that ankle but if he refused to assign his sector, he'd go on his own. Then he'd have no idea where he was and his safety would be compromised. He may have broken his heart, but he would die before he'd let anything bad happen to him. He'd promised that much, and even if he didn't believe his promises, he'd keep them anyway.

"Akutsu is coordinating assignments." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder towards the deputy sheriff who held court at a table near the coffeemaker. To Tezuka's way of thinking, letting Akutsu play team leader would keep him happy and useful, so he'd delegated the task of coordinating teams and assigning sectors to the deputy.

Fuji gave him a look of mild reproach but said nothing. Tezuka knew he dislike Akutsu. But he dislike him, too. if he was going to volunteer, he'd have to deal with both of them.

With a gentle command to the dog, he walked away.

Tezuka stood for ten seconds watching him, scowling at the limp he tried to hide. His gut twisted in a knot.

What had happened between them last night? From start to finish, the evening had been both beautiful and terrible, and he'd had no time to process any of it.

A call came in from the campground where the child was last seen. Tezuka shook off thoughts of Fuji and hurried to the telephone. He had to get his mind clear and concentrate on the search.

As he finished the phone conversation, someone called his name. Before responding, he shot a brief glance towards the assignment table and saw Akutsu talking to Fuji. His face was like a stone. He shouldn't have sent him over there with that jerk after what happened last time.

He started to come in their direction.

"Tezuka-san." The dispatcher's voice stopped him. "The highway patrol is on the telephone. They want to discuss the chopper situation."

Tezuka take the outstretched telephone. Several people from the campground where the child had gone missing had arrived and needed to be interviewed. As operational chief, every single piece of information was filtered through him. By the time he'd fielded another dozen of questions and two more calls, he spotted Fuji and Hunter heading for the exit.

"Excuse me," he said to one of the interviewees. "I'll be right back."

He caught up to Fuji and grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Sy-...Fuji, I-" he started and then let the thought drop when he shifted around to stare at him with those haunting, betrayed eyes.

He carefully disengaged his arm and stepped back. "I'm on my radio. Unit one."

A thousand thoughts raced through his head. He loved Fuji. He needed him in his life. He could trust him. But no matter his personal feelings, the mission came first.

"Be careful," he finally said.

For a nanosecond, Fuji's stiff attitude crumpled. Some emotion flickered and died on his lovely face. He could swear he wanted to mend the rift between them as badly as he.

But as quickly as the expression came, it disappeared, so that he almost wondered if he had been a victim of his own wishful thinking.

Fuji murmured to the dog and pushed through the glass double doors and out into the gray blustery day.

Tezuka stood for several more seconds until Fuji disappeared from his sight. He had a bad feeling about this. A real bad feeling. And there was not a thing he could do about it.

~X-O-X~

Two hours into the search, Fuji's ankle shot pain all the way up to his eyeballs. The headache he'd had since he and Tezuka argued had become a drumbeat of self-recriminations. He rubbed at his temples.

Had he overreacted to Tezuka's nightmare?

He didn't know. The harsh reality that Tezuka had actually attacked him played over and over inside his head. He'd thrown him against the wall. He could still imagine the press if his powerful hand against his throat.

He shivered at the memory. All the fear of the past had culminated in those few moments. He'd behaved like a maniac, practically accusing Tezuka of trying to murder him. He probably thought he was insane.

Maybe he was.

Even if he could get past the fear, Tezuka was gone from his life for good. No one would tolerate his irrational behavior for long. Making the break was a good thing. Really. It was. He didn't need Tezuka Kunimitsu or anyone else. He'd been fine with his dogs for years. Fine.

Then why was he hurt so much inside that he wanted to lie down in a snowbank and never get up again?

With the grit that had kept him going when his family died, Fuji shook off the melancholy. A child was lost. A precious, innocent child.

As he lumbered through the snowy woods and traversed a slick, rocky incline packed hard with ice and snow, he forced his mind to the search. Hunter trotted back, eyes bright and interested, but a little worried. The dog was starting to stress from lack of progress.

Fuji opened the plastic bag from his backpack and withdrew a small blue sock with a big letter "E.R" embroidered on the cuff. The sight twisted and turned inside him. Ryoma, the little lost boy, had worn the sock yesterday.(_AN: let's just imagine a 6-year-old Echizen Ryoma)

Holding the garment to Hunter's nose, he said. "Find Ryoma, boy. Find Ryoma."

Hunter charged off again, but his energy was beginning to flag. From his behavior, Fuji was almost sure that the child had not come this way, but he was assigned this sector and until it was cleared or the search was called off, he'd stay the course.

His radio crackled, causing a jump start to his pulse. For a second, he hoped the caller was Tezuka. Foolish, he knew better. Him and Tezuka were over. Over even before they'd started.

But last night had been magical- for a while. Up until that terrifying moment against the wall Fuji had almost believed in the impossible. For a few wonderful hours, he'd dreamed of love and marriage and forever with Tezuka.

Foolish. Foolish Fuji Syusuke.

The radio crackled again.

Annoyed to have his thoughts constantly distracted with the memories, Fuji pushed the Talk. "Unit one."

"Fuji. Deputy Akutsu here. Where are you?"

A curl of distaste made his answer short, but he told him.

"Any progress?"

"Nothing. I don't think the child came this way."

"Agreed. Let's move you to another location."

Fuji frowned at the black handheld before pressing his mouth close to the speaker. "Leave this sector incomplete?"

Pulling off an unsearched sector wasn't the normal mode of operations but perhaps Akutsu trusted his dog's judgment. He rattled off a new set of directions, off the grid, farther up the mountain that could be reached only by foot or helicopter.

The climb and rugged terrain would tax his ankle, but he agreed to take on the task. He wanted to find the child.

Calling Hunter back to his side, he leashed him, offered a treat and a few minutes rest. Then they started the long climb.

More than halfway up, he slipped, turning his weak ankle. The pain stole his breath. With a cry, he sat down, panting. Snow had begun to fall, not unusual, but distracting and dangerous. A new snow would hamper rescue efforts and make the journey back to base increasingly difficult.

Hunter, who had ventured much farhter, must have heard Fuji's cry of pain because he returned again, tail wagging as if to say, "What's wrong, Mama(1)?"

Struggling to his feet, Fuji rubbed the dog's ears to reassure him while he considered what to do. He didn't have to remove his boot to know he'd reinjured the ankle. Already, the boot tightened painfully from renewed swelling, and the throb was enough to bring tears.

Though hating to admit defeat, he had no other choice. He was useless now and to go farther would be treacherous and foolish. Calling in, he reported to Akutsu and started back to base.

His backpack seemed to gain weight with every step. He leaned on his probing stick and trudged on. The snow increased. Fuji hoped someone would find the little boy soon.

Tezuka wouldn't give up. He was sure of that.

Thoughts of Tezuka intervened again, filling his aching head with all the might-have-beens and what-ifs. What if they'd made love? What if he hadn't had the nightmare?

From somewhere behind him came a rumbling sound. Adrenaline ratcheted through his body like lightning. He knew that sound.

_Avalanche._

Ankle screaming in protest, he began to run.

And then his world went from blinding white to cold and black.

~X-O-X~

Tezuka paced the fire station like a caged cougar, stopping to glare at a large, circular clock on the wall. Little Ryoma had been found by a hiker some time ago. All the search units had reported in. Most were back at the station by now and some had even went home. All but one. Fuji.

Where the heck was he?

He tried his radio for the fifth time. No answer.

He knew he was ticked off at him, but no reasonable, ethical search and rescue volunteer would refuse to answer his radio calls because of personal conflict. Would he?

Of course not. Akutsu hadn't heard from him, either. And he was in command of the ground crews.

Tezuka took a ham sandwich from a white pasteboard box and chomped down, thinking. Until all the team members were accounted for, he couldn't rest. And on the top of that it was Fuji that hadn't report yet.

He tried the radio once again and when Fuji still didn't answer, went to consult Akutsu. True to form, the deputy was leaning on the back of a pickup truck talking to a reporter. The man loved reporters.

"Deputy Akutsu," Tezuka said. "Could I have a minute?"

The deputy flashed an easy, dismissing smile at the reporter. "You'll have to excuse me. Official business."

Tezuka didn't have the patience to wait for the reporter to leave. He asked Akutsu, "Have you heard from Fuji?"

"Fuji?" Akutsu pretended not to understand. He removed his sunglasses, held them up to the light to examine a smudge.

"All the teams have reported in except him."

Akutsu puffed a breath on the leans and rubbed the glasses against his uniform. "Oh, you mean the spooky human being or is he even human?"

"Have you heard from him?"

"Well, now, let's see." He slid the glasses in place and turned a big grin to Tezuka. "I'd have to check the log to be sure."

The deputy was trying his best to get to him, and if he wasn't careful, Akutsu would succeed. Already tense, Tezuka managed to keep his temper as he ground out, "Then check it. _Now_."

One eyebrow jacked in amusement. "Getting ansty about your little...playmate?"

Tezuka's patience meter had just about run out of quarters. "Now is not the time, Akutsu. He's been out too long on that bad ankle. Get me the call log."

The deputy took his sweet time sauntering into the fire station to the table where the radio communications transpired. Before he could flip through the list of calls, Tezuka yanked the tablet from his hand.

"There's only one call here from Fuji."

"He's not that communicative."

True enough. And he disliked Akutsu.

"Where was he when he called in?"

"Leaving his sector."

"Was he headed back to the base? Did he know the child was found?"

When Akutsu didn't reply, a bad feeling crept up Tezuka's spine. "Look, Deputy, we have a responsibility to all our volunteers, whether you like them or not."

"We have a responsibility? Excuse me, Director Tezuka, but _you're_ the man in charge. Any problems that arise are on _you_, buddy. Not me."

The fact that Akutsu was gloating about problems arising tuned Tezuka's antenna. Something was wrong here. And Akutsu knew more than he was saying. "Where is he?"

"You find him. You're the big, tough Army Ranger with all the smarts."

Tamping back the need to smash Akutsu's face, Tezuka stalked to the assignment map, frantically searching for Fuji's assigned sector. He jabbed an index finger at the spot. "He's here, right?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Akutsu shrugged, enjoying his power play.

Tezuka had about reached his toleration limit. He glared down into the sorter man's face. "Spit it out, Deputy. If you know something say so. And do it quick. I'm tired. And you're already on my last nerve."

"Tired?" Akutsu smirked. "As in up all night with that trainer?"

Tezuka pressed closer, pent-up anger and stress boiling off him in waves. "If you've done anything to jeopardize Fuji's safety, you will pay. And I warn you. I don't make idle threats."

Fear flared in Akutsu's eyes. Flushing beet purple, he took a step backward.

"Don't get your knickers in a wad, Tezuka. The crazy trainer called in. Wanted to search a different sector. I couldn't stop him. He does his own thing."

True, and yet Tezuka didn't believe a word of the deputy's sputter. Something was wrong here. Something that could get Fuji injured.

"Where was he going?" He collared Akutsu and shove him towards the map. "Show me."

Sullenly, Akutsu poked at a spot off the grid, far out of the search range. "Here."

"Why would he go there?"

"I told you. He was crazy."

"If you're lying-" Tezuka stopped the rage building inside him. "This isn't the first time you've withheld information from my department, is it, Akutsu?"

The deputy remained sullen, arms crossed and eyes averted. Tezuka shove the man's shoulder with his as he pushed past him. He'd deal with Akutsu later. Right now, Fuji was out there alone on a bad ankle, not answering his radio.

That could only mean one thing.

He was in trouble.

~X-O-X~

1. Mama = because I really think of Fuji as a girl! But, since this is yaoi, and I LOVE PERFECT PAIR SOOO much... so that's it..-plus it's cute when Fuji's the 'Mama' and Tezuka's the 'Papa' ;)

hope you enjoyed..! Have a nice day ahead!


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Something warm and wet slashed across Fuji's face. He tried to brush it away but his right arm wouldn't budge. The wet swipe came again. Struggling up from the darkness, Fuji opened his eyes. The glaring sky overhead hurt his already banging head. Hunter whined, lick his face again and began to dig frantically at the hard snow with his front paws.

"Hunter," he said, and his faithful friend leaned into his face, eyes worried.

Memory flooded back. The noise. The avalanche. A glance down revealed the problem. He was encased in concretelike snow up to his chest with only his head, shoulders and right arm free. Efforts to wiggle loose were useless. The problem with avalanche snow was that it hardened within seconds to form a rock-hard barrier nearly impossible to move without tools. The backpack beneath him held everything he needed but he couldn't move enough to reach it.

His anxiety level, already at overload, jacked higher. He was in real trouble.

Unable to feel anything but bone-chilling cold from the waist down, he had to set free quickly before hypothermia took over.

Using his free hand, he began to dig and pound at the ice covering over his other arm. With two arms free, he could make better progress. Without a shovel, his efforts produced little. Hunter prowled restlessly, alternating between face licks and digging.

"Help me, Hunter. Dig, boy, dig."

The well-trained animal had worked avalanche disasters before. At his command, he pawed with renewed energy. A cloud of snow flew out behind him.

He had no way of knowing how much time passed, but his one usable arm grew increasingly exhausted. Soon he was scooping tiny handfuls of snow at slower and slower speed. His teeth rattled and his upper body shook so violently, his back ached from the stress.

If only he could reach his shovel.

He attempted once more to shift positions. But he was stuck fast. Ant tired. So tired. He needed to rest. Just for a minute.

Hunter licked his face and he snapped awake. Succumbing to the cold and fatigue was a mistake. To survive, he had to keep fighting.

More time passed. He had no idea how much, but the shivering stopped. He could no longer feel his right hand and let it fall to the snow, useless.

The sky's glare hurt too much. He closed his eyes. Hunter licked his face again. He tried to look at him, but failed.

As the darkness crept in, Fuji had one final thought. If only he could still have one more chance to apologize to Tezuka and to tell him he loved him.

~X-O-X~

Tezuka tramped along the way to Fuji's assigned sector,alternately yelling and whistling for Fuji. Before leaving the command center, he'd sent out call for more searchers. Those who had searched all morning for the child were too exhausted, so he'd called in reinforcements that would arrive within the next few hours. But for Tezuka, every minute that ticked past was another hour for Fuji-his Fuji-was out there alone.

Unable to stand by and do nothing, he'd authorized Sheriff Inoue to handle the command post and he'd begun his own search. The Sheriff had clapped him on the back and with understanding in his eyes, said, "Go on, son. You're no good until you find your other half."

His other half. Yes, Fuji is his other half. And he should have told him so.

He'd snowmobiled as far into the search area as possible, but much of the terrain was accessible only on foot. Akutsu had known that when he'd allowed Fuji to come this way. Why hadn't he refused Fuji's request? The man had seen his ankle. He knew he couldn't hike these icy rocks and snow boulders.

The snowfall picked up as he traversed the ridge. Face numb from more than an hour of hiking, Tezuka could only think of one thing. If he was cold after an hour, what kind of shape was Fuji in?

"Fuji!" he called. Blowing snow filled his mouth.

As he hiked and called, Tezuka considered the worst. Fuji had been gone too long without radio contact. He was either hurt or lost, and neither option was promising.

A thousand times Tezuka wished he'd done things differently this morning. He should have told him he loved him and would do everything in his power to help him work through his fear. He should have promised to earn his trust.

Angry at his stubborn pride, he jabbed a trekking pole hard into the snow and ice-covered ground. Jerking hard to dislodge it, he stumbled and began to slide. Adrenaline squirted through his veins. With a last-second surge of effort, he grabbed onto an outcrop of rock and stopped the slide. He had to grip, both physically and mentally. If he fell off the mountain, he was no good to Fuji.

Whistle in his lips, he blew long and hard, then paused to listen. Off to his right, in the brush, he caught the faint rustling sound of movement. Most likely, he'd startled a deer, but he waited just the same, hope a living thing inside him.

Another sound came, louder now. The creature was advancing, not retreating. Breath held, Tezuka strained to hear. Was it his imagination or was that a dog's quick, sharp bark?

His heartbeat ratcheted up, so loud he couldn't hear anything else.

Suddenly, a snow-laced dog in an orange SAR vest burst into sight on a slight rise above him. Alone.

Dear God, where was Fuji?

"Hunter! Come here, boy. Come here."

Tezuka started to run toward the animal, cursing the thick snow and slick rocks for slowing him down. He panted, his frigid breaths making his lungs ache. He didn't care. Nothing mattered but finding Fuji.

The dog moved faster and easier. In minutes, Hunter jumped and leaped around Tezuka's legs, barking frantically.

Tezuka scanned the ridge and all around as far as he could see. Fuji was nowhere in sight.

He'd heard him give the search command many times and prayed he did it properly. The dog knew where he was. Hunter was his best hope in finding Fuji.

"Where is he, Hunter? Find Syusuke. Find you Mama."

The dog spun around and headed back the way he'd come. Tezuka followed as fast as his legs could, but many times the dog stopped, turning to bark as if urging the slow human to hurry.

They had crested a narrow ridge and started down the other side when Hunter bolted ahead. Snow spun out around him, reminding Tezuka of the first time he'd seen Fuji playing with his dogs. The memory of his beautiful laugh and the hope that he could make things right drove him to run, though his legs and lungs screamed to rest.

Hunter's wild barking came again and the animal stopped, this time beside a mound of snow surrounded on two sides by jutting green spruce. Something blue and yellow protruded from the snowbank.

Once more, the gift of adrenaline kicked in. In seconds, Tezuka collapsed, panting, onto his knees beside Fuji's cold, still form. His skin was like wax, the bluish tinge frightening evidence of how long he'd been trapped in the snowslide. His eyes were closed, the lashes crusted in snow.

A groan of despair rose in Tezuka's aching chest. Was he too late?

He felt the soft area of his throat found a pulse faint and erratic but discernible, and nearly collapsed with relief. After a quick call for help, he yanked his shovel free from his backpack and began to dig. The faithful dog added his efforts.

Tezuka refused to acknowledge the pain in his shoulders or the ache in his back. Over and over he chanted, "Stay with me, Syu. I love you. Stay with me."

When at last, the pile of snow relented, Tezuka pulled him free, stumbling and staggering back with the effort. He fell to his knees and drew him close to his work-heated body, wrapping him in the blankets from both their packs.

"Where is that chopper?" he barked into his radio and received assurances that help was in the air.

He unzipped his coat to bring Fuji closer to his body heat. He was terribly,frightfully cold. The search dog was clearly stressed, so Tezuka urged him onto his lap, as well. They were a sandwich, with Fuji in between.

He touched his face with his gloved hand. "Syusuke."

He didn't stir.

Dropping his forehead to his, he whispered all the things he'd wanted to say last night and hadn't. He could only hope he heard and understood.

He pressed his lips to his and shuddered with dread at how cold and unresponsive they were. The back of his throat burned with very real fear that he would lose him. He kissed him again and again, breathing warmth into his mouth, pleading with him to live.

He'd never been a praying man but there on that mountain, with his love in his arms, Tezuka Kunimitsu prayed for one more chance to make things right.

After what seemed an eternity, the whomp-whomp of the helicopter broke the frozen silence. Tezuka tenderly kissed Fuji's cold, still lips one last time and hoped that help had not come too late.

~X-O-X~

Fuji awoke to warmth and snowy whiteness. The world smelled sterile and empty, but no longer cold.

His stomach pitched. Was he still trapped in the snowbank and suffering from the delusion of warmth? Wasn't that what happened right before death? Where was Hunter? He would be distraught without him. If he was dead who would take Hunter home?

"Oh, Hunter, I'm so sorry." He wasn't sure if he'd spoken aloud or if he'd only thought the apology.

"Fuji-san?" A woman's, no a guy's, probably around his age, face peered over a set of matal rails. He wore a plastic name tag and a white uniform.(_An: ah, the nurse is Yukimura Seiichi, by the way ^_^ ).

Fuji blinked, trying to clear the cobwebs. A nurse? Was he in a hospital?

He had the courage then to glance around at his environment. No snowbank. No dark, jutting spruce. No granite mountain faces. Instead, a TV hung from the wall. Next to it, some kind of machine beeped and flashed numbers. A small nightstand was to his left. An ugly green, vinyl chair sat in one corner.

Relief trickled through him as warm and welcome as the heated blankets surrounding his tired, achy body. Someone had found him. He was safe.

He tried to speak, but only a rusty croak came out. His tongue felt thick and heavy and his throat raw.

The nurse smiled. "Try this."

He held a cup to Fuji's mouth and supported his head while he drink. A salty, wonderfully warm liquid slipped over his tongue and down throat.

"Better?"

Fuji nodded and lay back, shaky from the effort. He blew out a sigh. "Thank you." Though slurred, the words were heartfelt. "Where's my dog?"

The nurse's look was quizzical. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything about a dog."

Someone needed to take care of his dogs. There was only one person he would trust his animals. Tezuka.

The ugly memory rushed in as if it and been waiting to attack. Somehow he must swallow his pride and beg Tezuka to look after his dogs-after he told him the truth.

Fully alert now, Fuji became aware of the tingling pain in his right hand. He tried to flex his fingers and found them stiff and puffy. Leaning up to examine them, he discovered IV fluids dripping in his arm.

"Are you hurting?" The nurse hovered nearby, checking monitors and watching him.

"I'm fine."

"I was warned you'd say that."

Warned? He turned his head to stare at the nurse. "By whom?"

"The tall, good-looking man outside the door wearing holes in the tile. The man who saved your life. Why don't I tell him you're awake?"

Tezuka was here?

"Tezuka saved my life? How?"

The nurse glanced up from adjusting the IV pump. "You don't remember?"

"All I remember is being tired and cold and trying desperately to dig myself out of an avalanche. And then nothing."

"The helicopter brought you in. Apparently, your hero wouldn't stop searching until he found you. You must have been up there for awhile. The paramedics said your man was a basket case, barking orders, demanding that they be careful with you, keep you warm and get you off the mountain at record speed."

"I don't understand. Tezuka found me?"

How had he known where to look? How had he known he was in trouble?

The nurse nodded. "Pretty special guy you have, I think. He was hypothermic himself, but insisted you receive the medical attention and chopper ride. He hiked out there on his own. All the nurse are calling him a hero. You're lucky to have him."

Fuji rested back against the stiff pillow, taking in the information. Tezuka had come for him, even though he'd had no way of knowing where he was or that he'd been caught in an avalanche. He'd come looking, and he had not given up until he found him.

At that moment, the door swished open and the man himself stormed inside, face set in a determined scowl. "I heard voices. Is he awake?"

The nurse arched an amused eyebrow at Fuji. "Is he always this impatient?"

Fuji thought of exactly how patient Tezuka could be and blushed, shaking his head. "Not always."

Halfway to the bedside, Tezuka stopped, hovering there until the nurse departed, hands shoved into his coat pockets. He looked uncharacteristically uncertain and Fuji's chest swelled with love. Even if Tezuka didn't want to hear it, he'd been given a second chance. He would not leave this room without telling Tezuka his feeling for him.

"Where's Hunter?"

"At home. He'd doing great. Just worried about you. Like the rest of us."

"Did you really save my life?"

"Somebody had to. Stubborn Fuji Syusuke, going off by yourself on a bad ankle. I won't let you do that again. No partner, no search. End of subject!" He paced from one end of the room to the other and back again. "You could have died, you know? You almost did!"

"Tezuka."

He didn't answer. He was on a roll now, with a full head of steam. For the next couple of minutes, he let Tezuka bluster and rave. And with every word, his hopes grew brighter.

The big tough Ranger chewed him up one side and down the other. He complained about his independence and then he praised it. He threatened to blacklist him from volunteering and then he told him how good he and Hunter were at their jobs.

Fuji lifted a hand, let it fall onto the snowy sheet and tried. "Kunimitsu. Pleased."

"What?" It was more a bark than a word.

"I'm sorry." Sorry he'd had to rescue him. Sorry for last night.

All the bluster went out of the big man. He opened his mouth to say more and then close it shut again. He slammed both fists onto his hips, dropped his head and released a loud, gusty sigh.

"Are you all right? Really? Do you hurt anywhere?" He shoved splayed fingers through his hair. "Do you need pain medicine? I can get the nurse back in here in two seconds flat."

He bet he could, too, but the nurse had no medicine for the pain in Fuji's heart.

"I'm fine."

Tezuka huffed. "Save it for someone who believes you."

"My fingers and toes are tingly." Painfully so. "That's all."

"No surprise there. You suffered some early frostbite, but the doctor said you'll recover to do something else dangerous." He said the last word as if he would tear him again.

Fuji reached for Tezuka's hand, pulling it against his heart. "I was scared, Tezuka. I prayed you'd come."

Tezuka closed his eyes as if the admission was too painful to bear. When he looked at him again, the ravages of worry and fear and fatigue were there in his dark eyes for him to witness.

"What if I hadn't? Dear God, what if I hadn't found you?" he asked, warm, calloused fingers caressing Fuji's cheek. "I was scared, too, Love, more scared than I've ever been. When I found you there beneath all the snow, I thought..."

"You thought what?"

Sincere brown eyes swept his face. His jaw flexed. His Adam's apple rose and fell. When he spoke, the words where a husky whisper.

"You were so cold. So terribly cold. I thought I'd lost you for good."

His voice choked. He gulped back the emotion, but Fuji saw what he couldn't say. The gaping hole in his heart was suddenly filled. Tezuka wasn't angry. He was afraid of losing him.

The realization hit him hard and fast. All these weeks he'd pushed him away because of his military background. And yet, even after he'd hurt him last night and driven him away, he'd traipsed through the bitter cold with unrelenting determination to find him and keep him safe.

He'd said he could trust him. And he knew it was true. It always had been.

"Tezuka... Kunimitsu," he whispered, touching his beloved's face with both hands. "I love you."

"Yeah...I-What did you said!" His voice was incredulous.

"I love you." Anxiety made his fingers tremble, but he was determined to carry on. He'd sworn if he survived, another day would not pass without telling him.

When he only stared, he hurried to say, "It's okay if you don't feel the same."

It wasn't at all okay, but he was determined he should know. "Nearly dying makes a person realize many things. I kept thinking of the ugly way we'd parted and that you would never know how grateful I am to you and how you've made me a better person. But most of all, you've been brought love and trust back into my life. You're my hero in every sense of the world. And I love you, whether you love me or not. I love you."

Tezuka squeezed his eyes closed and take a deep breath. And then he did the sweetest thing. He went to one knee beside his bed, big hands sandwiching his.

"Fuji Syusuke, I've loved you since the first time I heard you laugh."

Joy sprang up behind his rib cage and spread to his mouth. "You have?"

"Yes, Love. Last night I tried and failed to show you."

Fuji shook his head, denying him. "You didn't fail. I felt your love, but I was afraid of being vulnerable."

"Are you afraid now?"

"Only of losing you."

"Ah, Love. That's not going to happen. Say you'll marry me."

Laughter bubbled up and tears of happiness dampened his eyelashes. "Yes. I'll marry you."

Tezuka rose and gathered him in his arms. "And be with me forever till my hair become white?"

"Oh. yes! Forever. I'll love you for ever till your hair turns white."

Tezuka was about to kiss him when-

"Wait, but Kunimitsu, I won't be able to give you babies."

"No. The dogs. They'll be our babies. They'll be our children. With them, we will build a big, strong and happy family."

With that, Tezuka lifted Fuji's face for a kiss. In his brown eyes, Fuji saw the promise of the future, a future he thought had died many years ago with a gunshot to the head and with the resulting bitterness and fear.

Now, the joy of being able to feel again, to love again, to be with Tezuka Kunimitsu forever, was all he'd ever ask of life.

Thanks for reading... did you like the ending? I hope you do.

I'm thinking you guy's want an **EPILOGUE** for this? Yes? No?

Haha even if you don't want I'll still write anyway. . XD

So, please wait, ne? It wont take long I promise. It's just short so I believe I'll be able to post it within this day...

;)


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

They were marrried in late June. the majestic mountains rose around the setting, high and purple and kissed with snow. And from them flowed the rush and roar of pristine waters, splashing down into the white foaming creek. Here, in the outdoors was the perfect place for a wedding, at least to Tezuka and Fuji.

A handful of people, friends, family and some of those they were able to help, or rather, searched from being lost in the mountains, had gathered to add their blessing to the union.

Heart full, Tezuka gaze around at the small gathering while waiting for the moment he could finally claim Fuji as his forever.

His mother, father and grandfather were all smiles. He smiled too, thinking how his family accepted him and Fuji with open arms.

All the former thoughts that he was not made for marriage had been nothing but pride. He hated to fail and he'd failed once.

Fuji squeezed his arm and pointed to an eagle lazily soaring overhead. He looked at the noble bird, but then turned his gaze back to Fuji. He could look at his beautiful "bride" forever. And he knew without a shadow of doubt, with Fuji by his side, he would not fail.

Sheriff Inoue and his wife came up, good people, Tezuka thought.

"Ready for the ball and chain, Tezuka?" the sheriff kidded.

"Can't wait," he answered truthfully.

"Nothing can complete someone than his other half. And I think you found the right one."

"Yes, sir, I did." His gaze automatically sought out Fuji. He was crouched down talking to the little boy, Ryoma, whom they'd recued a month ago.

"Ah, and before I forgot, I thought you'd wan't to know the D.A is pursuing charges against Akutsu."

"Good."

Akutsu Jin had been fired when his intentional sabotage of the Emergency Management Department was discovered. The disgraced former deputy immediately packed but was arrested before he could leave his house. But his actions had been more than vicious jealousy. Tezuka was glad to know the D.A agreed.

He still shuddered to think of how close he'd come to losing Fuji when the deputy sent him on that wild goose chase outside his assigned sector. If he'd had his way, he would have throttled the man himself. Now he could rest easy knowing the courts would take care of Akutsu Jin.

"I hope he's learn his lesson. Sorry to cost you a deputy."

"Better no deputy than a conniving one who doesn't care about the people he serves."

Tezuka had to concur. He was about to say much when his "bride" started toward him and he lost all thought.

"Ready?" Fuji asked, his words a bit breathy.

"Yes, Love. I was ready a long time ago." He kissed him on the nose. "You look gorgeous."

Fuji insisted on simplicity, but even in the simple blue-colored kimono with sakura petals embroidered, he still looked magnificent. His brown hair and stunnig oceanic blue eyes stood out.

"So do you." Tezuka was wearing a black suit that brings out the best of his looks and made him look...delicious, yummy, sexy, hot?(_AN: okay, I got a bit OOC there... I don't know which one you prefer, but for me, I prefer all of them or more, who agree?)

He smiled into those eyes and thought how deep and precious was the love and trust he saw there. And he planned to spend the rest of his life treasuring both.

Holding hands, they walked to the designated area where the attendants waited. The minister, a 50-year-old man, opened his Bible and began to read.

Fuji listened to the ancient words in awe and amazement. He'd never dream of finding someone like Tezuka Kunimitsu. A man he could trust with his life as well as his heart.

And yet, here he stood, more sure of himself than of anything in his entire life. Somehow, with Tezuka's insistent love, he'd erased his fears and opened his eyes to all the beautiful things he'd been missing. He'd even convinced him to give talks to schoolkids, instinctively knowing he'd love it. He'd been right.

His beloved had been right about so many things. And he would ever be thankful that he'd stubbornly pushed his way into his life, loving him until he'd come to his senses.

In his heart Fuji knew he had changed for the better. He would always be a strong, independent person, but with Tezuka by his side, he would be more than that. He would be free from the bonds of despair and free to be the loving and cheerful person he once was.

His lips quavered as he spoke the beautiful promises, but he quavered, not with anxiety, but with emotion too strong to repress..

Tezuka's hand shook in his as he promised to love and care for him for all the times. Fuji's throat filled with love. His big, though, confident military man trembled with love for him.

As the last vow quivered on the wind, the minister asked, "Are there rings?"

Fuji and Tezuka smiled into each other's eyes and then turned around to their two attendants. Hunter and Chase, handsomely dressed in black-and-white vests, sat patiently at their heels. Each carried a gold band on a ribbon around his neck.

The onlookers chuckled as Fuji and Tezuka removed the rings, quieting when the minister received them for a blessing. Holding the golden circles high, he spoke of their symbolic nature. He talked of the gold as a cherished treasure whose value never faded, just as the love of the couple that's being joined as one was an unfading treasure to cherish. And then he spoke of the circular shape which had no beginning and no end, signifying eternal love.

And as Fuji slipped the gold band onto Tezuka's strong, wide hand and then stepped into his groom's embrace, the circle of love he'd longed for all these lonely years was finally and forever complete.

**~END~**

**I WANT TO CRY!**

To those who supported this fanfic... hontou ne arigatou gozaimasu...

see you again soon!


End file.
